VIP's and Press Await Bush At Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport

Upon arrival, U.S. President George W. Bush will be greeted at Ben-Gurion International Airport by Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President Shimon Peres, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, Israel's chief rabbis and other Israeli dignitaries.

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After a ceremony featuring speeches by Bush, Olmert and Peres, the U.S. president will meet with Peres to discuss steps to improve the Palestinian economy and support regional financial initiatives.

Bush is then expected to meet with Olmert for a joint meeting with Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak that will touch upon negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as well as Israel's security needs. "We want the visit to succeed and produce more progress in talks," a government source said Tuesday.

Israel will also present its stance regarding the U.S. military assessment that claimed Iran has abandoned its nuclear armament program. Olmert, Livni and Barak will stress the importance of continuing to put pressure on Tehran by using Security Council sanctions. They will also provide Israel information on Iran's nuclear program.

The U.S. entourage includes hundreds of advisers, security agents and even cooks, who will supervise the food served to Bush at Jerusalem's King David Hotel in Israel.

About 1,000 rooms in three different hotels have been booked to lodge the massive delegation. In honor of Bush, Jerusalem's municipal council has decided to shut off the lights illuminating the Old City's walls to allow Bush to see it under the natural moonlight.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Olmert agreed to hold talks with the Palestinian Authority on the core issues of the Israel - Palestinian conflict - a decision that could lead to Yisrael Beiteinu's departure from the coalition.

According to the deal, which was first reported in Haaretz earlier this week, all the core issues in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a final-status agreement will be discussed in a special committee headed by Livni and Ahmed Qureia.

"Today the two leaders agreed to authorize the negotiating teams to conduct direct and ongoing negotiations on all the core issues," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said after the Israel prime minister met PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem. "We expect that to start expeditiously."

The core issues are considered to be the three most daunting and controversial matters at the center of the conflict, and include the question of delineating borders, Palestinian refugees' right of return and sovereignty over Jerusalem.

The remaining issues such as security, trade, economics, law and civil issues will be dealt with in separate committees. Olmert and PA President Abbas will monitor the progress of the negotiations and will contribute to resolving deadlocks. Neither side gave a start date for the talks, although Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the talks would begin immediately.

"We think the visit is an opportunity to energize the momentum of the post-Annapolis dialogue between us and the Palestinians," Regev said.