Netanyahu, Barak press for Iran timetable

"There must be a deadline to dialogue with Iran," Prime Minister-designate, Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both asked of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in their separate meetings with her on Tuesday afternoon. 

"Our shared goal is the need for creative thinking to move forward and out of the maze," Netanyahu said after the two met at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, their session extending beyond the originally scheduled one hour. Netanyahu was flanked by close advisors Ron Dremer, Ari Harow, Uzi Arad and

Yitzhak Molcho. Clinton was joined by US special envoy George Mitchell.

In comments made after the meeting Netanyahu confirmed that the conversation had touched on the Iranian threat, the situation with the Palestinians and other issues relevant to the Middle East.

"We agreed to meet again after the government is established, and work with close cooperate to bring prosperity, security and peace to the region," Netanyahu said.

Clinton met with Barak immediately after Netanyahu. They were joined by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Salai Meridor, head of the Defense Ministry's Security-Diplomatic Bureau, Amos Gilad, Defense Ministry Chief of Staff, Michael Herzog and Barak's military secretary, Eitan Dangut.

On the subject of Iran, Barak told Clinton that dialogue should begin quickly and end quickly.

If the course of diplomacy does not live up to expectations, Barak said, Iran must be slapped with harsh economic sanctions. He further said that India, Russia and China should also join the international community in imposing the sanctions.

The defense minister said Israel understands that Iran is only trying to buy itself more time, and added that no option was being taken off the table.

'US shares Israel's concerns'

Prior to her session with Netanyahu Clinton met with Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni. Clinton said following the meeting that the United States shares Israel's concerns regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions and Tehran's funding of terror organizations.

She added that she intends to dispatch representatives to meet with the Syrian leadership to discuss regional issues in which Syria is involved in. On the Palestinian front, she reiterated her hopes that a ceasefire would be agreed upon in the near future, and stresses Washington's determination to secure a peace agreement based on the two-state solution.

But while the image Netanyahu is trying to project is one of a solid relationship with the Obama administration and a lack of US pressure on the Palestinian track, his assertion that the two-state solution was not breached in his meeting with Clinton contrasts sharply with the latter's discussion of the subject in her talks with Livni and President Shimon Peres.

US sources made clear that the matter "would be discussed in due time. There is no point in raising the issue before the Israeli government is formed."

The sources stressed Secretary Clinton's message that 'friends must be honest with each other' as testament to Washington's future intentions.

Earlier in the day Clinton met with President Peres and visited Yad Vashem. Later in the afternoon she is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and in the evening she will complete her round of talks at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's residence in Jerusalem.