Olmert disagrees U.S. report's linkage between Iraqi issue and its conflicts with neighbors

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Thursday responded to a U.S. report on the Iraqi issue, rejecting its linkage between the Iraqi violence and Israel's conflict with neighbors.

It is an attempt to create linkage between the Iraqi issue and the Mideast issue and "we have a different view," Olmert was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying.

Olmert made the remarks at the Editors' Conference in Tel Aviv, which is Israel's first official response to the U.S. report issued by the Iraq Study Group (ISG) on Wednesday.

One of the major conclusions of the study group is that the United States is unable to achieve its goals in the Middle East without direct involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to media reports.

During the speech in Tel Aviv, Olmert also reiterated his support for the U.S. war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, he expressed that Israel would not have talks with Syria in the near future, saying "Syria's supports to Hamas and its efforts to destabilize Lebanon minimized the chance of having negotiations with the Syrians at any time soon."

Source: Xinhua