In an interview with Lally Weymouth that was just put to print today, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert insisted he still stands by his plan for peace with the Palestinians and declared that Israel 'has many options' to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. Excerpts:
MS. WEYMOUTH: Last year you told President Bush you had a vision - your convergence plan - which was to withdraw unilaterally from large parts of the West Bank. Do you have a new vision today?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: The "convergence" plan was a vehicle to accomplish a vision shared by President Bush and myself - this is a two-state solution.
MS. WEYMOUTH: After the war in Lebanon, you said the "convergence" plan was on hold.
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: After the war, and the failure of the Palestinians to cope with continued terrorist actions, I had second thoughts about my ability to accomplish the two-state solution through realignment. One thing I can promise: under no circumstances am I going to withdraw from the need to engage in a serious dialogue with the Palestinians. The Palestinian issue is on the agenda. There is no way we can ignore it. We have to find the best partner-a lot depends on the Palestinian leadership.
MS. WEYMOUTH: How do you feel about President Abu Mazen as a partner?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: He has consistently shown his opposition to terror and his discomfort with Hamas. But it is incumbent upon him to do more than just say how uncomfortable he is with Hamas. He hasn't yet shown enough determination to put down this government of terrorists and to reduce the influence of Khalad Meshaal, who controls the the Palestinian government from Damascus.
MS. WEYMOUTH: How would you feel if Abu Mazen entered into a unity government with Hamas?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: If Hamas will formally accept Israel's right to exist, end all terror against Israel, and recognize the [prior] agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, then I'll be ready to sit with such a government, even if it includes Hamas representatives.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Has the United States asked you to release Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from prison, and would you consider it?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I made it clear long ago that I am anxious to open up a new dialogue with Abu Mazen and for that purpose I'm ready to release many prisoners. Hamas' inflexible attitude prevents the prisoners from being released because they refuse to let us have our soldier [captured Cpl. Gilad Shalit]. Hamas is not really interested in the wellbeing of its prisoners. They want to topple Abu Mazen at any cost.
MS. WEYMOUTH: You brought the ultra right-wing Avigdor Lieberman into your coalition. Will that affect your negotiating position with the Palestinians?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I made it clear that the policies of this government are not going to be changed, and you can read my lips. I'm ready for territorial compromises, and I haven't changed my mind.
MS. WEYMOUTH: How do you see the threat posed by Iran?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: President Ahmadinejad is a man who is ready to commit crimes against humanity, and he has to be stopped. My position is clear. If there can be a compromise that will stop Iran short of crossing the technological threshold that will lead them into nuclear capabilities, we will be for such a compromise. But I don’t believe that Iran will accept such compromise unless they have good reason to fear the consequences of not reaching a compromise. In other words, Iran must start to fear.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Will you talk with Bush about Iran?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I think that Bush is the last person on earth who needs to be reminded of what should be done in order to stop Iran. If there is one person I can trust, it's him.
MS. WEYMOUTH: If the international community does not act, would Israel consider taking military action?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: It is absolutely intolerable for Israel to accept the threat of a nuclear Iran. I prefer not to discuss the Israeli options. Israel has many options.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Do you feel the war against Hezbollah decreased the group's military strength but built them up politically?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I think Israel had a strategic, military and political success. The presence of the Lebanese army in the south [of Lebanon] together with a robust international force is very significant. It is not ideal. There is a lot that ought to be done and will have to be done by the international force.
MS. WEYMOUTH: So looking back, you feel the war was worthwhile?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: There were many mistakes committed but the overall picture is very significant. The main objective of Israel was to create the necessary conditions for the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of Lebanon and to stop Hezbollah from threatening the northern part of Israel, and I think that we have achieved these objectives. We still have to work hard in order to bring back the two abducted Israeli soldiers.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that he would like to talk to Israel. Would you consider this?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I would be happy to negotiate with Bashar Assad if he stopped his support of terror and of Hezbollah. Bashar Assad doesn't show any sign that he’s ready to do this.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Former Secretary of State James Baker said, "You don’t talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies". What's to lose by exploring whether there’s anything there?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Bashar Assad has not reached the point where he can qualify as a legitimate partner. You can't say we will not negotiate with terrorists and negotiate with someone who is a great supporter of terrorists.
MS. WEYMOUTH: But you negotiated with Arafat when he was in Tunisia, and he was certainly a terrorist.
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: We negotiated with Arafat, and I think we learnt something about negotiations of this kind from this experience. I don't expect my enemies to be wonderful guys. But I want them to come with clean hands when they come to negotiate with us.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Wouldn't it be worth trying to separate Syria and Iran?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I don’t believe Assad wants to be separated from Iran. What he wants is to recover the Golan Heights, and I don’t see any signs that he understands that he needs to pay for it.
MS. WEYMOUTH: If the United States gets out of Iraq, how would this affect the region?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: If there will be a premature pullout before Iraq has a robust government with a strong authority that can keep the unity of the country from collapsing into an internal civil war, then America will have to think about the possible ramifications on the neighboring Arab countries with moderate governments.
MS. WEYMOUTH: Do your low poll numbers drive you crazy?
PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: According to the polls, I was not supposed to be Prime Minister. So considering the polls I'm in a good position. I don't worry.
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