(AP-Washington Post) The White House on Tuesday denied reports of a rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he and President Barack Obama have reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Obama and Netanyahu spoke for an hour Tuesday night. The White House said in a statement that the two men agreed to continue "close consultations going forward" regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions. The White House denied published reports that Obama had rejected Netanyahu's request to meet with Obama in Washington next week. No such request was made or rejected, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said. U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed Tuesday that Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when the Israeli leader goes to New York for the UN General Assembly later this month. Both sides cited scheduling issues and rejected suggestions that Netanyahu had been snubbed.
2012-09-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive