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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Israel dispatches FM to Washington over ISG report | |
| 2006-12-09 | |
Tzipi Livni will meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials during her visit, which will focus on the repercussions of a report released Wednesday by the Iraq Study Group, her office said. That report said progress towards Arab-Israeli peace was key to saving Iraq. It also called for direct US talks with two of Israel's most fearsome foes, Syria and Iran, the latter of which is believed to be steaming ahead in its bid for nuclear weapons. A day after receiving the top-level commission's report, the United States and Britain signalled the start of a renewed diplomatic push in the region. The renewed focus on Mideast peacemaking and growing domestic pressure on US leaders to end the imbroglio in Iraq has Israelis worrying about a possible policy shift by Bush, who for six years has largely ignored the intricacies of Mideast peacemaking. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has also expressed disatisfaction with the report's recommendations. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said US problems in Iraq "are entirely independent of the controversy between us and the Palestinians." He also said that restarting peace talks with Syria, as recommended by the report, was unlikely in the near future. In statements sure to allay Israeli concerns, Bush has rebuffed some of the report's recommendations and maintained his insistence that Damascus and Tehran renounce support for extremists and pledge support for Baghdad's fledgling government and that Iran freeze sensitive nuclear work before any direct talks. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, meanwhile, have both welcomed the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that Bush revitalise Arab-Israeli peacemaking efforts. | |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #1 IMO, a prayer at the Western Wall can also help. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-12-09 02:04 |