WASHINGTON (voa) – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon heads to the United States Sunday to meet with President Bush.
Mr. Sharon says he will present a plan for peace in the Middle East. Israeli sources say this includes setting up buffer zones between Israeli and Palestinian land.
In their meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister is expected to show Mr. Bush a lengthy (100-page) document that Israel says directly links Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to terrorist attacks.
In their fifth meeting over the past year, Mr. Sharon and Mr. Bush will also discuss an international conference on Mideast peace announced Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Israel has yet to say if it will participate in the meeting, which could get underway next month. The location, participants and agenda have yet to be decided, although Israeli radio says the conference will take place in Turkey.
While Palestinian officials have made favorable comments about the conference, some Arab countries are expressing skepticism. Syria says it will not attend.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher says Israel should first pull out of Palestinian areas before there is any discussion of a peace conference. He will meet with Mr. Arafat today in Ramallah.
The New York Times (newspaper) quotes a senior Bush aide as saying the president will try to convince Mr. Sharon that Israel must deal with Mr. Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people. Prime Minister Sharon has said he will not deal with Yasser Arafat.
