JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday that he has made numerous overtures to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to talk peace – but all have failed.
Siniora’s office dismissed the claim, saying no invitations had arrived – and would have been rejected if they had.
Olmert said, “How natural it would be if the Lebanese prime minister replied to the many requests I conveyed to him, through different people, to sit down together, shake hands, make peace and end once and for all the hostility, fanaticism and hatred that part of his country feels towards us.”
He did not say when the offers were made.
A statement from Siniora’s office said, “Nobody has conveyed such invitations. They are rejected before they arrive.”
In other developments:
* The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who is shuttling between Israel and Lebanon, said Israel might agree to a prisoner swap with Hezbollah if the terror group provides evidence that its two Israeli captives are alive.
* Israel’s top government watchdog called for a criminal probe of Olmert over suspicions of impropriety in past political appointments.
With Post Wire Services