Sources: Main Issue On Olmert's Visit To Washington Is Iran Crisis
 
Senior foreign ministry sources said that the main issue Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will raise with the U.S. government in his visit to Washington next week is the crisis with Iran, Israel Radio reported on Saturday.

According to the sources, the convergence plan for withdrawal from the West Bank will only be discussed in general terms.

As Olmert prepares for his first official trip to Washington next week, he appears to be taking a step back from vocally advocating the convergence plan, Haaretz diplomatic correspondent Aluf Benn reported on Thursday.

Olmert told Kadima ministers Wednesday that he plans to present his plan to the Bush administration, but that only after "three, or 10, months," will it be possible to announce there is no Palestinian negotiation partner and move on to unilateral steps. The plan involves withdrawal from large swaths of the West Bank, but not from major settlement blocs.

"Everything depends on the situation on the ground," Olmert said.

He told Kadima ministers that the primary objective of his upcoming trip is to create a rapport with U.S. President George W. Bush, with whom Olmert will meet at the White House on Tuesday.

Olmert said the key issue on the table will be the Iranian nuclear threat. The prime minister is planning to describe the severity with which Israel views the threat, and explain that the country is not leading the international struggle against Iran, but expects the United States and other countries to do everything they can to halt the threat.

Meanwhile, Army Radio on Thursday quoted the prime minister's bureau as saying that the visit will also aim to show Israel's interest in dialogue with the Palestinians.

 
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