Related: US to make new assessment of Iraq's need: Bush
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| US President George W. Bush (R) and Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert shake hands at the White
House in Washington May 23, 2006. (Photo:
Xinhua/Reuters) |
WASHINGTON,
May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday met with Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the White House, and said Olmert's West Bank plan
could be "important step to peace."
"While any final status agreement will be only
achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes ... the prime minister's ideas
could be an important step toward the peace we both support," Bush said with
Olmert standing at his side at a press conference.
However, Bush stopped short of a full endorsement,
saying a negotiated agreement "best serves Israelis and Palestinians and the
cause of peace."
Bush urged Israel to reach out to Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas as an alternative to dealing with the Hamas-dominated
Palestinian Authority, noting Abbas "speaks out for peace and negotiations."
Bush also reiterated that "Hamas must recognize
Israel's right to exist, must abandon terror, must accept all previous
agreements," Bush said. "No country can be expected to make peace with those who
deny its right to exist, and who use terror to attack its population.
Enditem
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| US President George W. Bush(R) answers a
question with Olmert standing at his side at a press conference at the
White House in Washington May 23, 2006. (Photo:
Xinhua/Reuters) |
