Livni's surprise meeting with Bush
Foreign minister arrives at White House to meet with national security advisor; U.S. president surprisingly enters room during meeting, speaks with Livni for half an hour
Livni was scheduled to meet Hadley on Wednesday evening, but the meeting was postponed, apparently after U.S. government officials found out about Bush's plan to be present at the White House.
The president usually meets with heads of state at the White House, while visiting foreign ministers are usually met by other officials. When the president is interested in meeting with ministers, he usually just "happens to pass by" and enters the room where the meeting is taking place.
Bush and Livni's meeting lasted about half an hour and was defined by an Israeli source as "excellent." The two discussed Hamas' victory in the Palestinian Authority elections and the Iranian nuclear issue.
During the meeting, Livni repeated Israel's stance that a united front must be formed against Hamas and that the group must be demanded to recognize Israel and the international agreements, as well as disarm its gunmen.
Livni said the same things in her meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She told her counterpart that a Hamas-led Palestinian government could be designated a terrorist state, subject to sanctions, if it does not renounce terrorism and recognize Israel.
"When an entity, a state, is being led by terrorists, the meaning is that this entity, this authority, this state, is going to transfer into a terror state," Livni said, adding that Israel would not be able to negotiate with such an authority.
Headed to New York
Rice, meanwhile, said the optimal solution would be recognition of Israel by any Palestinian government. Israel is a member of the United Nations, Rice said, and stressed Hamas must recognize the Jewish state and renounce terror.
The U.S. thus toed the line with Israel's stance that it would not transfer funds to the PA should Hamas form the new government and not renounce terror, recognize Israel and honor the agreements signed between Israel and the PA.
At the end of the meeting, following two days of meetings with U.S. government officials, Livni left for New York, where she is set to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She is also expected to attend a dinner at the home of Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. Dan Gillerman, which will also be attended by Annan and ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
