Israelis and Palestinians have good chances of adopting a joint statement at the Middle East peace conference underway here, an Israeli spokesman said Tuesday.

Israelis and Palestinians have good chances of adopting a joint statement at the Middle East peace conference underway here, an Israeli spokesman said Tuesday.

"I can't say the chances are 50 percent or something, but the chances are good," Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for the Israeli delegation attending the meeting, told Xinhua.

Gendelman, who is deputy director of the Arab Press and Public Affairs Division at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said the two sides had much contact and discussion during the event.

"We hope the peace negotiations can start in 2008," he said, but he added that was not a binding goal.

The spokesman also stressed that Israelis believe the Palestinian National Authority must first create security conditions for the peace negotiations and achieve effective control of its territories.

However, he declined to comment on Israel's military action in Palestinian territories.

Gendelman said even if there was no joint statement, the convening of the meeting itself was important. "At least we can sit down and talk about peace," he said.

Initiated by U.S. President George W. Bush, representatives of more than 40 countries, regions and international organizations are convening at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Tuesday to discuss the Middle East peace process.

Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to address the conference Tuesday morning.