White House: Bush to meet with Olmert on June 19 in Washington
Meeting to focus on Arab peace initiative, the situation in the PA and the Iranian nuclear issue.
By Aluf Benn and Shmuel RosnerWASHINGTON - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet with U.S. President George Bush in Washington on June 19, according to an official White House announcement issued Thursday.
The two leaders will discuss regional developments, including the Arab peace initiative, the situation in the Palestinian Authority and efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear plans.
Olmert views the Washington trip as an opportunity to divert attention from his internal political troubles and shift the national focus to diplomatic efforts.
The visit is scheduled to take place only days after the second round of the Labor Party primaries and the presidential election. The prime minister hopes the meeting with Bush, who supported Olmert throughout the internal political crisis in Israel, will 're-launch' his leadership.
Advancing the diplomatic process, even superficially, will also help the Olmert keep Labor in the coalition.
Olmert has met twice with Bush since his election, in May and November of last year. Their first meeting was designed to allow the leaders to get acquainted and to discuss Olmert's convergence plan to unilaterally evacuate West Bank settlements, which has since been dropped.
The prime minister's second visit to the United States, in the wake of the Second Lebanon War, focused on changing the regional agenda as well as the Iranian nuclear issue.
The June meeting is set to address chances for promoting a "regional process" based on the Arab peace initiative, contacts between Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting will also examine the possibility of renewing talks with Syria.
Olmert is set to meet with Abbas next week, and is expected to announce that Israel will ease restrictions on the Palestinians in the West Bank in advance of his visit to the U.S.
The Olmert-Bush meeting comes amid increasing tensions between Israel and the American administration due to Israel's refusal to agree to the U.S. benchmark plan, formulated by the U.S. security coordinator in the territories, General Keith Dayton.
Israeli and American delegations will also meet next week to discuss the Iranian threat. Israel's delegation will be headed by Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who heads Israel's strategic dialogue with the U.S., while the American delegation will be led by Under Secretary of State Nick Burns, who is in charge of the Iran portfolio for the Bush administration.
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No more concessions That is it no more giving in and appeaseing.
America, Israel and the Free World should say NO to the terrorisms, deceptions, aggressions and manipulations of the Islamist-Jihadist world led by their chief sponsor--the Saudis who attacked America on 9/11!! It is time for America to tell the Saudis to go to HELL. They attacked America on 9/11 and they have the temerity to pressure and manipulate America to enable them to usurp Israel's biblical and historic homeland of Judea and Samaria, which Israel liberated with her tears, sweats and BLOOD from the Arab Islamist-Jihadist occupiers in the 1967 War, so that Israel will be reduced to a tiny indefensible enclave that they can easily destroy in the future as their Charter stipulates. The Saudis also have the temerity to manipulate the gas price to hurt the American people. Their sins are recorded in: "Secrets of the Kingdom" by Gerald Posner, "Jihad Incorporated" by Steven Emerson, "Hatred's Kingdom" by Dore Gold and "They Just Don't Get It" by Colonel David Hunt.
israel is going to conclude its 2nd national meeting in washington,to be attended by gingrich and bibi.they will be meeting congrssmen & senators & letting them know we support israel. the christian zionists/evangelicals are a huge voting block.
Bush could care less about Israel. I do have a feeling though his so called religious conversion was masterminded by CarlRove to help him win the elction. He is a globalist? Any feedback on that! Dumb and Dumber meet again!
Each should share the home with a serial-killer before they ever mention "two-states" again. Masking stupidity by calling it diplomacy doesn"t make it less foolish.
www.whysaudiplanwrong.info and remind him of hid pledge to Sharon!
Does the Israeli treasury have to go to the unnecessary expense of having Olmert travel to Washington? Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper if Bush just called him on the telephone to give him his orders?
Bush will likely promise support against Iran in exchange for Olmert agreeing to take quick steps to implement the Saudi peace initiative. After they make the agreement, Israel will find a thousand and one reasons to delay and drop the peace initiative. Bush is smart enough to realize this but it doesn't matter, because he can delay any Iran action until his term is up. SO.. these two leaders, each so badly mauled in the polls, will look for a quick shot of populatrity when they make their announcement, but as usual, nothing will come of it. I suspect that Iran and Syria are all ready to launch a devestating missle attack upon Israel, but the are waiting for Israel to strike first so their response would seem justified, even if it was disproportional. Syria has a large number of advanced Russian rockets with non-conventional warheads (as reported in another Israeli news service). Israels next war will be nothing like those in the past.