Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell next week in Washington, the White House has said.
White House National Security spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said Tuesday that Sharon, whose White House meeting was not previously announced, would discuss the Middle East peace process and bilateral issues in the meeting next Tuesday.
Bush, who initially took a more hands-off approach to the Middle East conflict than predecessor President Bill Clinton, has become more engaged in trying to halt what appeared to be a descent toward all-out war between Israelis and Palestinians, said Haaretz.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz is also due to visit the United States at the end of the month, on the heels of Sharon, reported the Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
It will be the first visit by Mofaz to the US since October 1999, said the paper.
Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg left for Washington Sunday for a series of meetings with officials in the Bush administration. Sources in Burg's office said that the visit was meant to bolster his foreign affairs image in preparation for the run-off with Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer for the leadership of the Labor party in September.
Ben-Eliezer has also been reported to be headed for Washington for meetings with officials at the Pentagon – Albawaba.com
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