WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wasnot the only statesman to arrive in Washington on Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan arrived in DC as well, but according to a source in Olmert's entourage, the two have not scheduled any meetings during their overlapping stays.
Olmert's Tuesday itinerary includesmeetings with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) officials.
Wednesday will see the prime minister meet with US President George W. Bush and dine with Vice President Richard Cheney. He also has meetings with the Democratic presidential hopefuls - the senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Babacan, whose country acts as mediator in the recently revealed peacetalks between Israel andSyria ,is said to have arrived in Washington on matters of his own state. Babacan is also scheduled to meet with Rice, but the majority of his scheduled has been kept under wraps; and he has no official meetings scheduled with Olmert or any of his people.
Turkey was cautiously optimistic about the progress madein the Israeli-Syrian channel last week, as Babacan said Istanbul believed "the talks may become direct very soon… Both sides have found a common denominator, but we are still in the first stages of a long process."