Stage set for key talks in US

Washington: When US President Barack Obama meets one-on-one with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office this morning, one thing is virtually guaranteed not to happen: fireworks.

The potential for conflict is there. Obama has stressed his belief in the creation of Palestinian state and in pursuing diplomacy with Iran on its nuclear ambitions, while Netanyahu is highly sceptical of both endeavours. But analysts and officials in both governments said it is in neither man's interest to have a public spat.

"For different but complementary reasons, both Obama and Netanyahu do not want this meeting to fail," said Daniel Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel and a foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign.

The Obama administration has only the wisps of a policy towards the Middle East in place, with many key decisions still to be made. The president appointed a special envoy for peace, former senator George Mitchell, and has sought to engage Iran, but with the Palestinians weak and divided and the new Israeli government sceptical of high-profile peace efforts, many key strategic questions remain unanswered.

Iran dominated a meeting two weeks ago between Netanyahu and CIA Director Leon Panetta, who stopped in occupied Jerusalem during a Middle East tour. According to a government official familiar with the talks, the two sides discussed stark differences in their assessments of how quickly Iran might acquire a nuclear weapon. Israeli officials say they could face a nuclear-armed Iran less than a year after the Iranian government makes a political decision to build one. The prospect has prompted Israeli military planners to consider options for pre-emptively attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

Both the Bush and Obama administrations have cautioned against such a unilateral strike. During his visit, Panetta delivered no specific warnings but outlined the serious consequences such an attack could have in the region and beyond, the official said.

Talks: Israeli Prime Minister begins US visit

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began on Sunday his first US visit since taking office, at odds with US President Barack Obama over Palestinian statehood.

Urgency in halting an Iranian nuclear programme:

Israel has called it a threat to its existence and a new approach to peace with the Palestinians that would shift the focus of talks away from creation of a state top Netanyahu's Washington agenda.

Both issues could put the Israeli leader and Obama, who will meet at the White House today, on a collision course, although Israeli and US officials have been trying to play down prospects of a confrontational meeting.

"There are differences," a senior Israeli official said on Netanyahu's flight to Washington.

- Reuters