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Sharon To Keep U.S. On Israel's Side On Washington Trip
JERUSALEM, March 17 (News Agencies) - Traveling to Washington on his first trip abroad since taking office, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hopes to convince President George W. Bush that Israel remains the top U.S. ally in the Middle East and that the peace process needs to be revised.
The trip by Sharon, who will meet with Bush on Tuesday, shows the importance for Israel of strong relations with Washington, its chief supporter.
"Israel and the U.S. are strategic allies, and Sharon's visit will be an opportunity to strengthen these ties," Israeli Minister Without Portfolio Danny Naveh said.
Israel is by far the biggest beneficiary of U.S. foreign aid with around $3 billion a year. Other figures place the aid package at around $4 billion annually. Military aid has consistently increased and is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2008, while economic aid is gradually declining.
On the political level, Sharon will promote the idea of "a regional approach" by Israel and the United States to the problems of the Middle East, while former U.S. president Bill Clinton clearly made a settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict his priority.
Scheduled during Sharon's four-day visit to Washington are talks Monday with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. On Tuesday, he is due to meet with Bush and members of Congress.
On Wednesday, he will hold talks with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and then visit Wall Street and be the guest of honor at a reception organized by New York's Jewish community.
According to Israeli radio, Sharon will also meet with CIA chief George Tenet.
The Sharon cabinet has set itself the goal of restoring security in Israel. Since the hardliner and former general won the February 6th election for prime minister, the Jewish state has suffered four bomb attacks killing 12 Israelis and injuring dozens more.
Over the same period, 30 Palestinians were killed, bringing to 439 the number of deaths since the Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, erupted five and a half months ago.
In a clear break from the policy of his Labor predecessor Ehud Barak, Sharon says he is only committed to already signed agreements and does not believe in a permanent settlement with the Palestinians.
He advocates "long-term interim arrangements" allowing the establishment of a state of non-belligerence, but demands that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat issue a public call for an end to violence before resuming talks.
The U.S. administration also said the peace process should not be pursued under the pressure of violence.
Sharon's government, however, state they recognize U.N. Resolutions 242 and 338 which stipulate an exchange of land for peace in the territories. Sharon has also vowed not to build more Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories and said he was ready to make "painful concessions."
Sharon thus hopes to shake off his bellicose reputation. But he proved he still favors the strong-arm approach when he recently tightened the blockade on the Palestinian territories, despite European and U.S. reprobation.
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, Sharon also intends to ask Bush to slap sanctions on Syria, which he accuses of supporting the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and its anti-Israeli attacks from southern Lebanon.
Syria demands that Israel withdraw from all land it captured from Damascus in the 1967 Six-Day War. Hezbollah spearheaded armed attacks against the Israeli army during its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which Barak ended in May.
Sharon said last week he would also appeal to Bush to free convicted U.S. spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard, a lingering bone of contention between the two allies. Pollard has already spent 15 years in U.S. prisons despite many attempts to obtain an early release.
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