Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that he disagreed with a U.S. advisory group's linkage of attempts to stabilize Iraq with new moves to end Israel's conflict with its Arab neighbors. The Iraq Study Group's report, released Wednesday, calls for direct talks between Israel and its neighbors, namely Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians, and says that a concerted effort to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict would improve the situation in Iraq.
"The attempt to create linkage between the Iraqi issue and the Mideast issue — we have a different view," Olmert said in a press conference held with leading editors of newspapers.
Olmert added that conditions were not ripe to reopen talks with Damascus, and noted that he received no indications from US President Bush during a recent visit to Washington that Washington would push Israel to start such talks.
Olmert, however, said that Israel was deeply interested in restarting new talks with the Palestinians and would work, "with all our might" to make them happen.
The Israeli leader also welcomed a peace initiative put forward by Saudi Arabia, saying it contains "interesting elements that should not be ignored."
