British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to raise the Palestinian issue and the aftermath of the Lebanon war when he meets Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after he arrives in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

Olmert is expected to discuss the efforts to block Iran's nuclear program.

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Blair visited Israel several times during his nine-year term of office and hosted Olmert in London at the beginning of June this year. Their meeting centered on Olmert's realignment plan, which has meanwhile been removed from the agenda.

Blair is expected to ask Olmert how he intends to proceed in the political process with the Palestinians now that the alignment is not on the agenda.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Olmert yesterday and urged him to call an international conference "with the participation of all the parties." He said Russia was convinced that this is the way to achieve peace.

"I came here from Beirut and Damascus," said Lavrov. "And today everybody wants peace more than ever. Peace and security. Now they prefer the position of those who don't want to live in endless arguments of who was right first. The only thing everyone wants is to sit round the negotiating table. Everyone wishes to reach a decision that would be suitable to all, certainly to Israel," he said.

Olmert, who is scheduled to visit Moscow on October 18, told Lavrov that Israel insists of implementing the road map. "We are ready to conduct a dialogue [with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] but only on the basis of the Road Map."

"I've said in the past that we'd be willing to make a goodwill gesture to Abu Mazen and even planned to free prisoners. After Gilad Shalit's abduction, obviously the situation changed," Olmert said.

Olmert said Syria continued to host the terror organizations operating against Israel. "If they wanted to move toward peace, they wouldn't do so," he said.

"As long as there's terror, there can be no political progress," Olmert said.

He blasted Russia's supply of weapons to Syria, which transferred them to Hezbollah. He argued with Lavrov about cease fire violations in Lebanon and said Israel kept up its part of Resolution 1701 and Lebanon must do the same and immediately release the abducted soldiers.

Lavrov said Beirut complained that Israeli planes were flying over the border, the IDF was acting in Baalbek and about the consequences of the naval and aerial blockade. But he agreed that the soldiers must be freed immediately and that Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped to Gaza, must also be released.

"President Vladimir Putin understands that well," Lavrov said.

Olmert spoke about the Shaba Farms and said, "if it is decided that the area is Lebanese, not Syrian as the UN secretary general said in the past, and if Lebanon implements resolutions 1559 and 1701 fully, including disarming Hezbollah, we'll agree to discuss it."

He repeated his offer to meet his Lebanese colleague, Fuad Siniora and "discuss all the issue with him."