US President to Meet Israeli Prime Minister Next WeekUS President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon next week in Washington, the White House said on Tuesday."Prime Minister Sharon is going to be in New York for a separate event. He will come to Washington following that event to meet with the president," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said when asked about Sharon's trip to Washington. "The Middle East cease-fire remains fragile. There is a cease-fire in place and the violence has been reduced. But it has not been eliminated," Fleischer told reporters. "The president's hope is that the cease-fire will continue to take hold, that the violence will diminish, and that unconditional cease-fire by both parties can be implemented," Fleischer said. "The president continues his efforts, and those efforts will continue when the prime minister visits next week," he added. |
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