NEW YORK - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived
in the US overnight Tuesday ahead of his scheduled meeting with US President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
White House officials said their expectations from the trilateral talks, which are set to begin at 6 pm (Israel time), were low.
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Sources in the PM's entourage said the meeting between Netanyahu, Abbas and Obama would likely be symbolic in nature, adding that they do not foresee any diplomatic achievements during the General Assembly's session.
They said wide gaps remain regarding Israeli construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, adding that the meeting's success depends largely on Obama's ability to influence the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Netanyahu's speech before the UN General Assembly on Thursday will focus on Iran and the efforts to curtail its nuclear program, as well as on the Mideast peace process. The speech will be delivered in English because, according to Netanyahu, "In Israel people are already familiar with the message, and now it must be relayed to everyone else."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials are trying to minimize the presence of representatives from western and moderate Arab nations at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN
address, which is scheduled for Wednesday. Despite the efforts, the US will apparently not boycott the speech.
Prior to leaving for the US, Ahmadinejad attended a military procession in Tehran, during which he called on foreign army forces to leave the Middle East and said, "No force in the world will dare think of attacking Iran."
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