Netanyahu: Meeting was positive
Photo: AP
PM: Reports meeting with Obama went badly are 'nonsense'
Netanyahu rejects rumors saying his meeting with Obama, shrouded in mystery when post-meeting press conferences were canceled, went badly. 'The atmosphere was very warm, open,' he says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Tuesday to reports that the meeting between himself and US President Barack Obama had gone badly, and said that they were "nonsense".
"The atmosphere during the meeting with President Obama was very open and very warm," Netanyahu said. "The importance of the visit will be ascertained in the future."
Rumors
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He added that the meeting had been "positive and to the point", and that it had dealt with the peace process and Israel's security.
"We discussed these issues in detail, practically, and out of friendship," the prime minister said.
Referring to his earlier speech before the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America he said, "We found a lot of understanding among the Jewish leadership and the Senate for our desire to promote the peace process, and for the steps we are taking to promote it."
A day after the conclusion of Netanyahu's visit, the meeting remains shrouded in mystery. Press conferences usually held after such summits were canceled, and any information regarding what had occurred was transmitted from sources who refused to be identified.
Officials in Washington have explained that the silence surrounding the meeting was a kind of test for the prime minister and his associates, in an attempt to rebuild trust between the leaders after previous meetings.
Ynet learned earlier that the Obama administration was angered by reports leaked to the press, apparently by the Prime Minister's Office, which said that Israel had come out of previous meetings 'victorious'.
After the meeting that had occurred following the UN General Assembly in New York, reports saying Netanyahu had succeeded in swaying Obama's opinion had surfaced and apparently damaged the trust between the two.
