<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Israel's Olmert is gung-ho on Palestinian state; to meet Obama this month
Israel's Olmert is gung-ho on Palestinian state; to meet Obama this month

Monday, November 10, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to commit Israel to work toward the establishment of a Palestinian state even after his departure.

Officials said Olmert has been discussing a new series of Israeli commitments with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a major military withdrawal from the West Bank. They said Olmert has also been asked to submit proposals regarding an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

"Olmert has expressed strong interest in continuing the peace process in his last months in office," an official said. "Both he and the president [George Bush] have been thinking about legacy."

Olmert, under police investigation on corruption and bribery allegations, has been invited by President George Bush for a meeting at the White House in late November. Officials said the Israeli prime minister requested the meeting to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state, negotiations with Syria as well as Iran's nuclear program.

Officials said Olmert was also expected to meet President-elect Barack Obama during his visit to Washington. They said the Bush administration has ordered coordination with Obama to ensure a smooth transfer of power as well as continuity in U.S. policy in the Middle East. On Nov. 10, Bush and Obama were scheduled to meet to discuss transition.

"He can count on my complete cooperation as he makes his transition to the White House," Bush said ahead of the meeting.

On Nov. 8, Ms. Rice concluded meetings with leaders from Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Officials said the secretary was drafting recommendations for the incoming Obama administration that would stress the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"As to advice to the next administration, I'll give that privately," Ms. Rice said on Nov. 7. "I think it won't be all that different from what you've been hearing from me here."

On Nov. 6, Olmert telephoned Obama and congratulated him on his election. An Israeli government statement said the two men discussed U.S. efforts to achieve an Israeli-Arab peace.

"The two men discussed the longstanding friendship between the United States and Israel as well as the need to maintain and strengthen it," Olmert's office said. "They also discussed the need to continue and advance the peace process, while maintaining the security of the state of Israel."

Olmert has asked Bush for a guarantee that U.S. military aid would continue to increase, officials said. In 2008, the administration said Israel would receive up to $3 billion in annual U.S. military aid into the next decade.

Officials said the administration determined in the summer of 2008 that Israel and the PA would be unable to meet a U.S. deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state in early 2009. They said the stalemate could continue for several more months amid the Israeli election campaign and the crisis between the PA and Hamas.

"We do not think it is likely it will happen before the end of the year," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said on Nov. 6.

Officials said the administration was drafting proposals for Israeli military redeployment and transfer of security responsibility to the PA over the next two months. They said the proposals reflect the recommendations issued at the Middle East conference in Annapolis, Md. in 2007.

"It is a period of transition both in the United States, and ultimately, it will be a period of transition in Israel, although there is currently a caretaker government there," Ms. Rice said. "That means, more than anything, that the progress that is being made on the ground should be, if anything, accelerated."

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