Israeli PM Leaves for U.S. amid Raged Violence

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, June 09, 2002

Israeli PM Leaves for U.S. amid Raged Violence

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon headed to the United States early Sunday for talks with U.S.President George W. Bush on the Middle East.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon headed to the United States early Sunday for talks with U.S.President George W. Bush on the Middle East.

Sharon, who was scheduled to arrive in Washington early Sunday,will meet Bush on Monday. This will be their sixth White House meeting since Sharon took office in March 2001. He will also speak to key members of Congress.

Sharon's visit comes amid flared-up violence in the Middle East, which has marred hopes for progress in intensified U.S. efforts to restart the stagnated peace process.

Israeli troops raided on Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza and a Palestinian attacked on a Jewish West Bank settlement that injured at least four Israelis just as Sharon departed for the United States.

These developments added difficulties in clinching peace in the region.

In talks, Sharon will tell Bush not to push for a renewal of Mideast talks provided that violence in the region continues, the prime minister's spokesman Raanan Gissin said.

He said that trying to speed up the process before rebuilding confidence between the two sides could end up taking the peace process down a blind alley.

"Everybody wants (movement) and it will happen when it is clearthat there is intensive action against terror," Gissin said. "If that doesn't exist you can't set a timetable."

An Israel-based U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sharon felt a meeting with Bush would have greaterimpact than phone calls or diplomatic cables as Bush is going to solidify his Middle East policy for an forthcoming speech.

Gissin acknowledged, "The United States needs to shape its Middle East policy. Obviously it wants to hear the positions of the parties involved before making decisions."

He said the question of whether Israel might expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from the Palestinian territories was not likely to come up in the Monday talks.

Sharon also hopes to curb the effect of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who met Bush Friday and Saturday at Camp David, Maryland, pressing the United States to support declaring a Palestinian state next year before talks on final borders take place.

But Bush did not endorse the call, saying, "We're not ready to lay down any specific calendar, except to say that we have to get started quickly - soon - so we can seize the moment."

On his way back to Israel, Sharon plans to make a brief visit to Britain for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday, Gissin said.

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