Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was scheduled to travel to Russia later this month, has cancelled his trip, local daily Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday on its website, citing diplomatic officials.

    Olmert had been expected to discuss the crisis in the Caucasus and lobby against Russian arms sales to Syria during the trip. While the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) never officially confirmed that the trip would take place, it had been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 14.

    Officials in the PMO said the trip was postponed for "logistical reasons," as no agreeable date was available to both sides.

    However, the Jerusalem Post quoted diplomatic officials as saying that the trip was not postponed but rather cancelled, apparently because of the police recommendation on Sunday to indict Olmert.

    In light of this cancellation, diplomatic officials also wondered Monday whether the fifth round of indirect Israeli-Syrian peace talks, scheduled for Turkey on Sept. 18-19, would indeed take place.

    "I wouldn't be surprised if those talks are also postponed," one official said, adding that it was quite possible that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, aware of the tenuous political situation in Israel, would put things on hold for now.

    On Sunday evening, Israeli police recommended that Olmert should be indicted in two corruption cases.

    Micky Rosenfeld, spokesman for Israeli police, told Xinhua that the police have recommended that the premier should be charged with bribery, which is the most severe charge he faced, along with fraud, breach of trust and a string of other charges.

    The police are set to give their recommendations to the State Attorney's Office. Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz and State-Attorney Moshe Lador will review the case material before making a decision on whether to charge the prime minister.