Aug 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Jerusalem on Wednesday for the latest talks aimed at reviving long-stalled peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Below are the key players and their roles: PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS - Abbas dismissed a Hamas-led government on June 14 and formed an emergency cabinet in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after Hamas Islamists routed his secular Fatah forces to seize control of the Gaza Strip. That secured an end to international sanctions on the West Bank and Israeli concessions to Abbas on security issues. Abbas sees "seriousness" in Israeli positions but is resisting suggestions of talks on separate elements of any final peace deal, saying "final status" issues including borders, the status of Jerusalem and fate of Palestinian refugees must be part of a package. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD OLMERT - Olmert has called Abbas a partner for peace and is easing occupation conditions, such as lifting checkpoints and freeing prisoners, though not as fast as Abbas would like. Deeply unpopular since last year's Lebanon war, Olmert could use success in peacemaking to save his career. But many doubt he can win Israelis' support for critical concessions. A public inquiry into the Lebanon war, due to report this autumn, could still recommend that Olmert resign. ABBAS'S PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD - A U.S.-trained economist, Fayyad has won support from Western powers, Israel and Fatah militant leaders whom he has convinced to give his peace efforts a chance by agreeing to halt "armed resistance". He has stressed a priority to restore prosperity as a condition for stemming violence on the part of Palestinians. DISMISSED PRIME MINISTER ISMAIL HANIYEH - Hamas's Gaza leader still considers himself prime minister but faces the problem of running an aid-dependent enclave cut off economically and diplomatically -- not only from Israel and the world, but also from the West Bank. Haniyeh wants renewed dialogue with Abbas but the president refuses. In turn, Hamas rejects Abbas's call for new elections in the West Bank and Gaza. Haniyeh offers Israel a long-term truce but rejects interim peace accords. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE - Returning for a two-day visit, Rice has made reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks a priority as Washington seeks to calm a region roiled by the U.S. invasion of Iraq and by Iran's nuclear ambitions. She will stress support for Abbas and Fayyad and hostility to Hamas. MIDDLE EAST ENVOY TONY BLAIR - The former British prime minister is envoy for the Quartet -- the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations. After a first visit last week, he plans to return in early September then report back to the Quartet before a possible Middle East conference. His mandate is to bolster the Palestinians as a negotiating partner and seems keen to play a major role in bringing the two sides together. U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH - With his place in history bound to bloodshed in Iraq, Bush has vowed to try to mediate a peace between Palestinians and Israelis before he steps down in January 2009. Criticised by some for lacking engagement in the process before, he has called for a Middle East peace conference, expected to be held in the United States in about two months.
