Israeli PM to meet President Bush

Sharon hopes for concessions from the US

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet US President George W Bush in Washington on 14 April.

The talks will be two days after Mr Bush meets the Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak, at his ranch in Texas.

The announcement comes at a time of intense behind the scenes discussions over Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

With US elections due in November, Mr Bush wants to have some progress to show in the Middle East.

"The president looks forward to reviewing bilateral issues and the situation in the region with Prime Minister Sharon," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

He added that talks between the two leaders would include "the war on terror and the search for Israeli-Palestinian peace".

'Strong position'

Mr Sharon has been hoping for US concessions in return for the withdrawal from Gaza, and parts of the west Bank.

He wants a public declaration that two of the largest Jewish settlements in the West Bank will remain permanently in Israeli hands.

I will speak frankly with [Bush] on what Americans can do to ease Iraqi people's hardships and how we can help Jordan's King Abdullah

Reports in the Israeli media have suggested that President Bush is not willing to give Israel what it demands.

But the US government wants stability while it deals with many other issues in the Middle East.

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says Mr Bush will also want to be able to announce some progress ahead of the November presidential elections.

Mr Sharon will come to Washington in a strong position, says our correspondent.

'Timely' visit

Two days before, President Bush will host Egyptian President Mubarak - a key ally in the Middle East - at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Mr McClellan said talks would cover "our common efforts to combat terrorism... to see the spread of freedom and prosperity through the Middle East... and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."

Egypt is a key US ally in the Middle East

Jordan's King Abdullah will hold talks at the White House on 21 April.

Correspondents say the killing of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israel on Monday is likely to dominate President Bush's talks with Egypt and Jordan.

President Mubarak called the killing "cowardly aggression", while King Abdullah described the assassination as a "crime" that "will lead to more escalation, violence and instability".

Iraq is also to expected to feature highly on the agenda with the Jordanian monarch.

In a rare newspaper interview King Abdullah described the visit as "timely" because "I am not satisfied at all with the security situation in Iraq".

"I will be speaking very frankly with the American president on what the Americans can do to ease the hardships of the Iraqi people and what we can do to help," he told al-Rai newspaper.