Israeli PM-Elect May Visit US Next Month: OfficialsIsraeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon may visit the United States next month, officials of his Likud party said on Wednesday.The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the major pro- Israel lobbyist group in the US, will convene its annual meeting on March 18-20. As a tradition, Israeli prime ministers usually attend the meeting. Sharon may use the chance to meet with US President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and congressmen, the officials said on condition of anonymity. If a meeting takes place, Sharon and Bush are expected to discuss the Mideast peace process and the Israeli-US relations, they added. Shortly after exit polls showed Tuesday night that Sharon defeated caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Barak in the election that day, Sharon held a telephone conversation with Bush, during which the US president called on the new Israeli prime minister to cooperate closely with the U.S. in the peace process. In a related development, Powell may travel to the Mideast region this month and pay his first visit to Israel, Israel Radio reported. |
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