Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert prepared Monday for his first
talks with US President George W. Bush that were expected to focus
on the Israeli leader's plans to redraw Israel's recognized
borders.
Olmert arrived in the US capital on Sunday and planned to hold
talks Monday evening (local time) with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice focusing on the stalled peace process with the
Palestinians as well as Iran's nuclear program.
The prime minister, who is scheduled to meet Bush at the White
House on Tuesday local time, will seek to bolster the Jewish
state's relations with its chief ally, which are instrumental in
his ambitious plan to redraw the map of the Middle East.
"The main purpose of this visit is for the two leaders to get to
know and understand each other better," said a senior US
administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of
anonymity.
In a similar way to his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, who led the
withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the occupied Gaza
Strip, Olmert will use his visit to "show himself as a reliable and
serious leader who can implement historic moves," a senior Israeli
government official said.
The newly-elected premier has vowed to dismantle dozens of
Jewish settlements in the West Bank by 2010 in order to assure
Israel's defensible and viable borders.
But in turn he wants to cement control over the big housing
blocs where the vast majority of the quarter of a million settlers
live with or without agreement from the Palestinians.
Despite his determination to push forward with his plan, Olmert
will assure the US administration that his government was
determined to hold talks with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud
Abbas before turning to unilateral steps.
"Olmert will open negotiation channels with Abbas, but they will
be measured in months," the official said. "He needs to convince
himself, the US and the Arab states that such an option has been
exhausted."
(China Daily May 23, 2006)
