World leaders reach out to Olmert
Prime minister's cancer diagnosis prompts outpour of support from regional, international leaders. US presidential candidate and prostate cancer survivor Rudy Giuliani among well-wishers. Olmert's staff assures public nothing will be hidden from them
Less than a day after announcing he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that the illness will have no effect on his daily routine.
Tuesday, he said, like all other days, will begin with a 90 minute workout session. Associates close to Olmert said the prime minister would continue to disclose any changes to his condition as well as the nature of the treatment he is undergoing.
Throughout the day Olmert's office in Jerusalem fielded calls from concerned well wishers, among those were included Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who currently serves as special Mideast envoy on behalf of the Quartet.
US Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani, a longtime personal friend of Olmert's and himself a survivor of prostate cancer, spoke at length with the prime minister.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also spoke with Olmert Monday afternoon and was promised by the PM that he would attend the Annapolis peace conference as scheduled and only undergo surgery after the talks had ended.
