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US and Israeli flags (file)
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| By Israel Insider staff August 12, 2007 |
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Echoing what several other regional and US politicians have been saying, Tom Lantos, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned not to place high hopes on the US-backed Mideast peace conference this fall.
Lantos said he did not expect any substantive changes before the end of US President George W. Bush's term, the Jerusalem Post reported.
"We must not exaggerate any expectations with respect to the meeting that will take place in November," Lantos, a California Democrat, told a press conference in Jerusalem during a tour of the Middle East. "While I understand that some people in the administration would like to see great achievements in the next few months, great achievements will not be forthcoming."
The chairman appeared to be scaling back expectations to something more realistic as opposed to pooh-poohing the usefulness of the conference.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli leaders, as well as Olmert's Palestinian counterpart, Salaam Fayad, are scheduled to meet with Lantos during his Mideast visit.
Lantos said that he was still not sure whether he plans to support Bush's proposal to significantly upgrade arms deals and military aid to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. He stressed the importance to ensure that such a deal " does not represent a threat to the state of Israel."
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