MIDDLE EAST: Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, making the rounds on Washington's Capitol Hill yesterday after his meeting on Monday with President Bush, has denied their relationship had been damaged by a rift over settlements.
"In fact, I hope those outside could hear the peals of laughter coming out of the building," Mr Sharon said, referring to his lunch-time conversation with the president at Mr Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Mr Sharon and Mr Bush have reached an impasse on what the Middle East peace process means for Israeli settlements but it has not, on the surface at least, seriously affected the close bond they have developed over four years.
Analysts noted that Mr Bush did not speak of any sanctions against Israel if it went ahead with new settlements - such as the planned expansion of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, that would make it harder for Palestinians to create a viable state.
With work on expanding Maale Adumim possibly years away, the issue has evidently been relegated to the period after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza this summer.
Mr Bush said, "I want to focus the world's attention on getting it right in the Gaza, and then all of a sudden, people will start to say, 'Gosh, well, that makes sense.' The Palestinians will see it's a hopeful - there's a hopeful way forward."
In remarks clearly aimed at keeping the road map to Palestinian statehood viable, Mr Bush said that he told Mr Sharon "of my concern that Israel not undertake any activity that contravenes road-map obligations, or prejudices final-status negotiations." This meant that Israel "should remove unauthorised outposts and meet its road-map obligations regarding settlements in the West Bank."
Asked by a reporter about contradictory statements over settlements, Mr Bush replied sharply: "If he listens to what I say, he won't hear anything contradictory. I've been very clear about, Israel has an obligation under the road map. That's no expansion of settlements."
The road map, drawn up by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, provides for Israel to dismantle some Jewish settlements in the West Bank and cease settlement expansion.
Mr Sharon reiterated after the meeting that Israel would not budge on settlements during negotiations, saying: "It is the Israeli position that the major Israeli population centres will remain in Israel's hands under any future final status agreement with all related consequences."
"The United States has never agreed to the Israeli settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria [ the West Bank] and Gaza Strip. It does not agree to it now. There is no dispute," Israeli official Dov Weisglass told Israel's Army Radio.Israeli deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert said Mr Bush was "against the expansion, but he is not against the fact that what exists will remain part of Israel."
Israel has been encouraged that it can keep major settlements on the West Bank by Mr Bush's statement last year that it was "unrealistic" to expect a full and complete return to the 1949 armistice lines.
Mr Sharon also said that further progress on the road map would depend on the end of violence from Palestinian groups.
There would be no progress after the Gaza withdrawal unless the Palestinians "completely fulfil their obligations of stopping terror attacks, waging a war against terror, destroying the terror infrastructure and reforming their security services," he said.
"I have no intent, in no way, of progressing with the road map . . . until they fulfil all their obligations," he said.
Mr Bush has invited Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to meet him in Washington next month, although no date has yet been set.