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U.K.'s qualified support for Olmert plan

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has won British Government's qualified backing for his controversial plan to redraw Israel's final borders — a move which Palestinians have denounced as "land-grab''.

Mr Olmert, who was on his first visit to Britain after becoming Prime Minister, was "delighted'' with the outcome of a two-hour meeting with his British counterpart Tony Blair whom he described as a "great friend'' of Israel.

In what was seen as a concession to Mr Olmert, Mr Blair while insisting on a negotiated settlement, left the door open for Israel to act unilaterally, if necessary, to resolve the border issue. The status quo, he said, was not an option.

"We, the international community have got a choice. We either put our best effort into making sure that a negotiated settlement becomes a reality, or we are going to face a different reality,'' Mr Blair told reporters after the meeting.

This was interpreted by Mr Olmert as tacit support for his own position that he was prepared to talk to the Palestinians but if there was no headway Israel would go ahead with its plans to "re-align'' its borders.

Heaping praise on Mr Blair, the Israeli leader said: "He is very smart and he is very experienced, and he wants to achieve something for both the Israelis and the Palestinians.''

So far, Mr Olmert's border plans have received only a mixed reaction from other world leaders. During his recent talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, he received what commentators called only "two cheers'' from his American ally.

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