President George W. Bush plans to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Friday at the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Tuesday.

"President Bush will welcome Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas to the White House on Friday, December 19th," Perino said.

"The president looks forward to discussing with him our shared efforts toward peace in the Middle East, including progress in building capable Palestinian institutions, fostering economic development, and training and deploying Palestinian security forces in the West Bank," she said.

Abbas's office announced the trip last week.