Ministry of Finance director general Dr. Joseph Bachar will visit Washington in mid-April to open discussions on US aid for the disengagement plan.
Israel and the US have held many unofficial talks for possible US aid. Bachar's visit to Washington will be the opening move in bilateral negotiations on the issue.
There is broad agreement among the Israeli government officials preparing the request that official negotiations with the US for aid will begin after Israel finalizes its request, including absolute numbers and concrete arguments for each item.
The final request will probably not be ready before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon goes to the US on April 11, and only afterwards will Bachar go to Washington. Sharon is therefore not expected to raise the subject during his talks with President George W. Bush at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas. It is nevertheless possible that Bush will declare that the US is prepared in principle to bear the financial burden of the disengagement.
Sources in Washington believe that intensive talks on aid will begin after the disengagement starts, and possibly only after it is completed.
Bachar will meet National Security Advisor Steve Hadley, who played a key role in US-Israeli negotiations for the US loan guarantees, as well as officials from the Departments of State and the Treasury.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on March 27, 2005