Bush: Olmert is 'essential'
30/04/2007 19:40  - (SA)  

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Washington - US President George W Bush views Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as "essential" to Middle East peace efforts, said the White House on Monday as Olmert faced tough criticism over the Lebanon war.

"Bush works very closely with prime minister Olmert and thinks that he's essential in working toward a two-state solution. The president remains committed to it," said spokesperson Tony Snow.

Snow declined to comment on a newly released Israeli government report that blamed Olmert, defence minister Amir Peretz and former army chief Dan Halutz for the "serious failure" of on last summer's 34-day war.

"We're not going to comment on, obviously, internal investigations within the Israeli government," said the spokesperson.

Eliahu Winograd, retired Israeli judge, in presenting the interim findings into the handling of the war, declared that: "The responsibility is on the prime minister, the defence minister and chief of staff."

He said decisions and actions by the three "add up to a serious failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and prudence".

The report said Olmert made decisions hastily and without proper preparations.

'No consultation'

"The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one.

"He made his decisions without systematic consultation with others, especially outside the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces), despite not having experience in external-political and military affairs.

"In addition, he did not adequately consider political and professional reservations presented to him before the fateful decisions of July 12th" when Hezbollah launched the deadly cross-border raid in which it seized two Israeli soldiers, sparking the war.

"The prime minister is responsible for the fact that the goals of the campaign were not set out clearly and carefully. He made a personal contribution to the fact that the declared goals were over-ambitious and not feasible."

- AFP

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