Peres with Obama (Archives)
Photo: AFP
Peres to meet Obama Monday
President to be first Israeli leader to hold White House meeting with US president. Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet Obama in mid May
WASHINGTON – President Shimon Peres, who is scheduled to visit the United States next week in order to attend the annual AIPAC meeting, will meet with US President Barack Obama on Monday.
The White House said that it was decided to use Peres' visit in order to have Obama meet with the "most knowledgeable Israeli statesman."
Peres will thus become the first Israeli leader to meet Obama in the White House, preceding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet the US presidents in mid May.
Netanyahu was invited to speak at the AIPAC meeting, but found that he needed for time to form government policies on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the Iranian threat prior to meeting with Obama. He asked Peres to take his place at the AIPAC meeting and postponed his Washington visit.
So far, Obama met with only one Mideast leader – King Abdullah II of Jordan. The White House also extended invitations to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
