Israel not looking for war with Iran: Olmert

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said ahead of White House talks yesterday that he was not looking for war with Iran over its nuclear programme.

"Every compromise that will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities which will be acceptable to President Bush will be acceptable to me," Olmert said in an interview with NBC's "Today Show."

"I am not looking for wars. I am not looking for confrontations. I'm looking for the outcome. This campaign will be tested in only one way whether it will succeed to stop Iran from possessing nuclear weapons," he said in the interview, recorded in Israel on Friday and broadcast yesterday.

Israel's concerns over Iran's uranium enrichment programme, the war in Iraq and Palestinian moves to form a unity government to replace a Hamas-led administration are likely to top the agenda of Olmert's talks with President George W. Bush.

Olmert said he did not believe Washington's strong backing for the Jewish state would waver.

"Support for Israel traditionally has been bipartisan. I don't see anything changing in the next two years that can alter the balance of feeling towards us," Olmert told reporters accompanying him on the flight to Washington on Sunday.

In preparation for his talks with Bush, Olmert had a working dinner with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday.

Last month Olmert said there would be a "price to pay" if Iran rejected every compromise. Teheran also warned on Sunday its Revolutionary Guards would respond swiftly if Israel attacked the Islamic Republic.

Source: China Daily