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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (434986)	7/28/2003 11:05:05 PM
From: calgal	Respond to of 769667

Sharon meets Jewish leaders, Rice ahead of talks with Bush WASHINGTON (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) met with US Jewish leaders a day ahead of talks with US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and in the face of growing US pressure for Israel to stop construction of a vast separation fence around the West Bank. AFP/File Photo The Israeli leader arrived in Washington late Sunday. He kicked off his three-day US trip at a breakfast meeting with leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a source on the Israeli delegation said. At the meeting, senior representatives of the pro-Israeli lobby briefed Sharon on the general mood of the US Congress following last week's visit of Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas, the source said, without giving further details. Sharon later met with US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) to go over the main points to be raised at Tuesday's meeting with Bush, the source said. The talks at the White House were expected to focus on Israel's continued construction of the fence, which drew unexpectedly harsh criticism Friday from Bush. "I think the wall is a problem ... It is very difficult to develop confidence between the Palestinians and the Israelis ... with a wall snaking through the West Bank," Bush said. Although the fence is not mentioned in the roadmap, Palestinians fear it is an Israeli attempt to establish the boundaries of any future state outside the negotiating process. Until now, Israel has successfully resisted pressure to halt construction of the fence, which it insists is purely a security measure with no political significance. In order to defend his position, Sharon was expected to present Bush with maps, statistics and aerial photographs showing how the fence around the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) has successfully prevented all attempts by Palestinian militants to enter Israel. But despite Sharon's insistence to continue construction of the fence, Israel had put together a very intricate plan to overcome opposition, which appears to be focused on the sections which cut eastwards into Palestinian land, the source said. The dispute with the US administration began after the fence's route, which was originally closer to the 1967 Green Line, was moved eastward to include several Jewish settlements. Israel's Finance Ministry meanwhile approved the release of 170 million dollars for construction of the fence. But in a move to play down the issue, the Defence Ministry cancelled an official ceremony set for Thursday to inaugurate the first section. Sharon was also expected to lobby Bush to pressure the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) into breaking up militant organisations by reminding the president of the danger they pose to the success of the peace process, the source said. He was also likely to present Bush with intelligence that Hamas has built dozens of new Qassam rockets with a greater range, and has test-fired the rockets into the sea, the source added. Another thorny issue likely to figure in the talks was the freeing of Palestinian prisoners. Israel's reluctance to release more than a small fraction of the estimated 6,000 Palestinians it holds -- particularly those linked to militant groups such as Hamas or Islamic Jihad -- has proved to be a main obstacle to the peace process. However, Sharon's cabinet approved the release of 540 Palestinian prisoners, among them 210 members of the two militant groups, just hours before his departure. Sharon also is to meet with US senators and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) before returning to Israel. URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20030729/ts_afp/mideast_us_sharon_030729010904&e=2