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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Bush to Meet Israel's Olmert on Wednesday |
| 2008-06-03 |
| President Bush will meet Wednesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. They will review progress in the Middle East peace process. This will be their second round of talks in less than one month, following Mr. Bush's trip to Israel in May for ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the nation's founding. Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino says the informal discussions at the White House will focus on the peace process. She says the administration is doing all it can to get a Palestinian state defined before the end of the year, noting the president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are keeping in close touch with all the parties involved. "We continue to be engaged to try to help them, but we are not going to be able to solve the problem for them," said Dana Perino. "They are going to have to continue to work together." She says the process is long and difficult, but stresses the two sides are not giving up. "And we know that their governments are talking to one another - the Palestinians and the Israelis," she said. "But there is a lot of tension, a lot of historical complexities that enter into this. But I believe that the president will see from Prime Minister Olmert that they continue to negotiate in good faith. And this president is going to push them, because the Israelis and the Palestinians both have to live up to their 'roadmap' obligations, if we are going to reach the goal of defining a state by the end of the year." |
| Posted by:Fred |