BEIJING - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he had "deep" discussions with China on Wednesday about the need to prevent Iran attaining nuclear arms, and said China made it clear it is committed to that end.

After meeting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Olmert accused Iran of seeking the materials and know-how required to reach a "threshold" at which it could assemble nuclear bombs, but said Beijing and other major world powers would intervene.

"I believe Iran will try to reach it [threshold], and I believe international pressure will prevent it," Olmert, whose nation is assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, told reporters.

	Advertisement

"My talks [with Wen] were of great depth. I heard surprising things -- things both positive and unexpected," he said. "China made it absolutely clear that it opposes Iran going nuclear, in the sense of obtaining nuclear bombs."

Olmert declined to elaborate on what Wen said in the meeting, but the official Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Wen as telling Olmert that "China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the settlement of the (Iran) issue."

The Chinese premier was also emphatic that all sides in the Middle East exercise restraint.

"History and reality show that violence cannot solve the Middle East problem, but rather they only increase hatred and alienation," Chinese television reported Wen as saying.

The question of the Palestinians was the core of the problem, he said. China supported Israelis and Palestinians co-existing peacefully as two nations side by side, he said.

Israel, Syria and Lebanon should also take practical action to create trust and an atmosphere for talks, he said.

Wen said that China would play its part in facilitating talks between Arabs and Israelis.

China has good relations with both Israel and the Arabs, but observers say that Beijing has only played a minor role in the peace process until now.

Following Olmert and Wen's meeting, the two premiers signed a raft of agreements, including some on cultural exchange.

As a prelude to the talks on Tuesday, Olmert visited the Olympic Village for the 2008 Beijing games and a dairy farm funded by Israel.

The two sides also said they wanted to expand bilateral trade, aiming to increase the 2006 figure of 3 billion dollars to 5 billion by 2008.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Wednesday, for talks that Israeli officials said would center on Iran's nuclear program.

A member of Olmert's delegation said earlier that the three-day visit, which will include a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, will focus on the importance of United Nations-imposed sanctions.

"He will surely talk about how Israel is concerned by Iranians becoming a nuclear state and what are the consequences that can take place if the Iranians will hold a nuclear bomb or weapon," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It will be high on the agenda."

China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has strong trade ties with Iran and has been leery about imposing punitive measures, but it supported the UN resolution that orders all countries to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs. It also freezes Iranian assets of 10 key companies and 12 individuals related to those programs.

The council has warned that it will adopt further nonmilitary sanctions if Iran continues to refuse to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that produces the material for either nuclear reactors or bombs.

Iran denies that it seeks to build atomic weapons, saying its nuclear program is limited to generating electricity.

Israel's worries that Iran is its most serious threat have been fueled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to wipe it off the map. Olmert has not ruled out a military strike against Tehran's nuclear program but has said he hoped other ways could be found to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

The British newspaper The Sunday Times reported earlier in the week that the Israel Air Force is training for a possible tactical nuclear strike on an Iranian atomic facility.

Olmert's trip also marks the 15-year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and China, whose good relations have been marred by occasional political and trade tensions.

Both sides have emphasized that the visit is aimed at fostering a deeper friendship and strengthening economic and trade ties.

China is now Israel's third-largest trading partner, following the United States and Germany. According to the federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, Israeli exports to China jumped 31 percent to $740 million in the first 11 months of last year, compared to $565 million in the same period for 2005.

The Israeli official said talks will also center on "the intention of both sides to increase trade to... $10 billion in 2010."