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Bush, Olmert say Iran is 'threat' to peace AFP US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed Wednesday that Iran was a "threat" to peace that needs to be confronted, as they kicked off talks at the White House. "Iran is an existential threat to peace, and it's very important for the world to take the Iranian threat seriously, which the United States does," said Bush, while Olmert called Tehran "the main threat to all of us." The embattled leaders, who exchanged a warm handshake and fondly recalled Bush's May trip to Israel, said few words about the faltering Middle East peace process and did not evoke a year's end goal for a deal with the Palestinians. "We'll be, of course, talking about the Palestinian issue, the peace process. We'll be talking about Lebanon. Looking forward to your wisdom about, you know, how you see the Syrian issue," said the US president. Olmert did not detail what he hoped to discuss in the talks, but noted that they had tackled "the main issues" when Bush visited Israel in May for celebrations of the country's 60th independence day. He cited "The peace process with the Palestinians, situation in Lebanon, the compact that hopefully may lead to pull out Syria from the axis of evil, which is very important, and also, naturally, about the main threat to all of us, which is Iran." "I loved my trip to Israel. It was really a meaningful trip. And a lot of it had to do with your gracious hospitality," said Bush. "So I welcome you back here to Washington. You come back as my friend. I'm glad to see my friend." "From a personal point of view, I can only say that I admire you friendship and your commitment and your emotions as they were expressed in such a powerful manner in your visit to the state of Israel," said Olmert. "Israel loves you and Laura very much," said the premier.
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