Sharon pushes for Iran sanctions

WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has used his visit to Washington Tuesday to call on senior Bush administration officials to impose sanctions on Iran.

After presenting Israel’s intelligence assessment on the matter to President Bush in Texas, Sharon asked Cheney to push the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran

The prime minister warned Iran is closer than most Western countries think to creating a nuclear weapon, and said that diplomatic efforts to persuade Teheran to abandon it’s nuclear program were allowing the Iranians to secretly advance their nuclear program.

However, Israel estimates Iran has not yet reached the point of no return, Sharon said.

‘Abbas must do more’

Earlier Tuesday, Sharon spoke to foreign correspondents, mostly American, and repeated his call on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to act against terror groups.

“I have known him (Abbas) for many years,” Sharon said. “There is no doubt he represents a departure from Yasser Arafat's strategy of terror."

However, the prime minister noted, Abbas must do more in order to disarm terror groups. Otherwise, he said, ” we can't move forward from the pre-road map stage."

Sharon has characterized his 11th visit to the U.S. as more successful than any of the previous ones, in a bid to dismiss suggestions of significant disagreements with the American Administration over the issue of West Bank construction.

Coordinated effort

The Americans, meanwhile, are working hard to turn the disengagement into a coordinated exit, as opposed to a unilateral move.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has already spoken with Abbas, briefed him on the meetings with Sharon, and noted a visit by the Palestinian leader to the White House would be arranged soon.

However, sources close to Sharon said an Abbas visit may not be on the agenda at this time in light of the fragile security situation.

-Yitzhak Benhorin and Shimon Sheffer also contributed to the report