Post by Tulameen on May 23, 2006 23:34:31 GMT -5
Bush urges Israel on peace talks
US President George W Bush has urged Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resume direct talks with Palestinians.
Mr Bush said he believed a settlement could still be reached with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and condemned the militant group Hamas.
However he told the visiting Mr Olmert that his "bold ideas" on a unilateral West Bank pullout could be a key step.
Mr Olmert said Israel reserved the right to leave while retaining major population centres if talks failed.
Mr Bush said he believed a negotiated settlement could still be reached between Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I believe, and Prime Minister Olmert agrees, that a negotiated final status agreement best serves both the Israelis and the Palestinians and the cause of peace," he said.
The US president made a distinction between Mr Abbas, who he said "speaks out for peace", and the militant group Hamas "who does not".
Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, must abandon terror, must accept all previous agreements
George W Bush
Hamas, which has formed a government after winning parliamentary elections in January, does not recognise Israel and has rejected calls for a permanent end to violence.
Mr Bush said a settlement should be based on the roadmap plan for Middle East peace agreed in 2002 - which speaks of the existence of two democratic states.
'Concession'
For his part, Mr Olmert said he would exhaust all options for a negotiated agreement before setting Israel's final borders.
He is proposing a withdrawal from the West Bank, involving tens of thousands of settlers, as part of a plan to unilaterally redraw the borders of the Palestinian territories.
But the Israeli prime minister reiterated he would not negotiate with Hamas until it "renounced terrorism" and recognised Israel's right to exist.
"Despite our sincere desire for negotiations, we cannot wait indefinitely for the Palestinians to change," he said.
The US administration will favour what Mr Olmert is after ... to put the Hamas government in a weaker position
Said Abdelwahed, Gaza
However Mr Olmert made what appeared to be a significant concession on the subject of Mr Abbas, the BBC's Justin Webb says.
The US wants Mr Olmert to pursue talks with Mr Abbas, bypassing Hamas, and Mr Olmert said he would try, our correspondent says.
On Iran, Mr Bush emphasised US commitment to a diplomatic solution, but reiterated his pledge to come to Israel's aid in the event of an attack.
Mr Olmert praised US efforts to seek UN action against Tehran, but said now was the "moment of truth".
"It is not too late to prevent it from happening," he said, referring to a nuclear-armed Iran.
'Facts on the ground'
The meeting in Washington is the first between the two leaders since Mr Olmert was sworn in earlier this month.
In 2004 Mr Bush appeared ready to allow Israel to retain large settlement blocs within the West Bank, calling some major settlements "facts on the ground".
All Israeli settlements within land occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war are judged illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
Mr Olmert, under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, played a key role in last year's withdrawal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
Ahead of the meeting, Israel arrested the head of the military wing of Palestinian Islamic group Hamas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Ibrahim Hamad was wanted for alleged involvement in a string of attacks, including a suicide bombing at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, where American civilians were among the victims.
Mr Olmert will also meet Vice-President thingy Cheney and House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, and address a joint session of Congress.
He has met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5006900.stm
Published: 2006/05/23 23:51:31 GMT
© BBC MMVI
US President George W Bush has urged Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resume direct talks with Palestinians.
Mr Bush said he believed a settlement could still be reached with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and condemned the militant group Hamas.
However he told the visiting Mr Olmert that his "bold ideas" on a unilateral West Bank pullout could be a key step.
Mr Olmert said Israel reserved the right to leave while retaining major population centres if talks failed.
Mr Bush said he believed a negotiated settlement could still be reached between Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I believe, and Prime Minister Olmert agrees, that a negotiated final status agreement best serves both the Israelis and the Palestinians and the cause of peace," he said.
The US president made a distinction between Mr Abbas, who he said "speaks out for peace", and the militant group Hamas "who does not".
Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, must abandon terror, must accept all previous agreements
George W Bush
Hamas, which has formed a government after winning parliamentary elections in January, does not recognise Israel and has rejected calls for a permanent end to violence.
Mr Bush said a settlement should be based on the roadmap plan for Middle East peace agreed in 2002 - which speaks of the existence of two democratic states.
'Concession'
For his part, Mr Olmert said he would exhaust all options for a negotiated agreement before setting Israel's final borders.
He is proposing a withdrawal from the West Bank, involving tens of thousands of settlers, as part of a plan to unilaterally redraw the borders of the Palestinian territories.
But the Israeli prime minister reiterated he would not negotiate with Hamas until it "renounced terrorism" and recognised Israel's right to exist.
"Despite our sincere desire for negotiations, we cannot wait indefinitely for the Palestinians to change," he said.
The US administration will favour what Mr Olmert is after ... to put the Hamas government in a weaker position
Said Abdelwahed, Gaza
However Mr Olmert made what appeared to be a significant concession on the subject of Mr Abbas, the BBC's Justin Webb says.
The US wants Mr Olmert to pursue talks with Mr Abbas, bypassing Hamas, and Mr Olmert said he would try, our correspondent says.
On Iran, Mr Bush emphasised US commitment to a diplomatic solution, but reiterated his pledge to come to Israel's aid in the event of an attack.
Mr Olmert praised US efforts to seek UN action against Tehran, but said now was the "moment of truth".
"It is not too late to prevent it from happening," he said, referring to a nuclear-armed Iran.
'Facts on the ground'
The meeting in Washington is the first between the two leaders since Mr Olmert was sworn in earlier this month.
In 2004 Mr Bush appeared ready to allow Israel to retain large settlement blocs within the West Bank, calling some major settlements "facts on the ground".
All Israeli settlements within land occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war are judged illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
Mr Olmert, under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, played a key role in last year's withdrawal of Israeli settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
Ahead of the meeting, Israel arrested the head of the military wing of Palestinian Islamic group Hamas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Ibrahim Hamad was wanted for alleged involvement in a string of attacks, including a suicide bombing at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, where American civilians were among the victims.
Mr Olmert will also meet Vice-President thingy Cheney and House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, and address a joint session of Congress.
He has met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5006900.stm
Published: 2006/05/23 23:51:31 GMT
© BBC MMVI