News agencies report they failed to bridge major differences on the Middle East crisis.

Bush, after meeting with Sharon for more than an hour, renewed his call for a separate state for the Palestinian people.

"I think that it's ... premature now," Sharon replied. "I think, first of all, steps should be taken in order to establish or to have real reform in the Palestinian Authority.

"It's still premature to discuss this issue," he said when asked whether he supported the creation of a Palestinian state. "We have to concentrate now on making every effort for real reform to take place."

Bush said he still held his vision of a Middle East that included the Jewish state of Israel and a sovereign Palestinian state, mentioning the name “Palestine,” but agreed with Sharon on the need to reform the Palestinian Authority.

To aid that effort with respect to rebuilding Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's security infrastructure and ability to police, Bush said he was sending CIA director George Tenet back to the Middle East.

"I've told the prime minister that George Tenet will be going back to the region to help design the construction of a unified security force," Bush said.

"It's very important that there be a unified security force, that at the same time we need to work for other institutions, a constitution, for example, a framework for development of a state that can help bring security and hope to the Palestinian people and the Israelis," said the president.

Bush said the security force would have one commander who would be held accountable instead of six to eight leaders, as is the case now, reported CNN.

There was, however, no signs Bush and Sharon had resolved their many differences: Bush wants to accelerate peace talks; Sharon wants incremental advances. Bush wants Sharon to deal with Arafat; the Israeli refuses to do so. Bush believes Saudi Arabia is a key peace partner; Sharon's government has accused the Saudis of supporting terrorism, reports news agencies.

Seeking to downplay the differences, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, said, "I don't think that anybody can look at any one meeting as a magic moment."

In addition, Sharon presented to Bush the mush-lauded “evidence” that both Arafat and Saudi Arabia were financing “terrorism” in the region.

Fleischer gently turned both indictments aside. He said Arafat has not earned Bush's trust but stopped short of calling him a terrorist, and he said the administration accepted Saudi Arabia's assurances that the country does not support terrorists.

Bush is also pushing Israel to ease economic restrictions on Palestinians. And while Bush has expressed disappointment in Arafat, the White House says Israel must deal with him.