Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom and Iraqi PM Allawi greet one another, shake hands
There were hundreds of handshakes Tuesday as world
leaders met for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly's annual
debate - but only one grabbed widespread attention: Israeli Foreign
Minister Silvan Shalom greeted Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi. Shalom and Allawi shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at the
General Assembly, where the two countries were seated next to each
other, in alphabetical order, the foreign minister told The Associated
Press. Shalom said he told Allawi he hoped for peace in the Middle
East. Arabs have long speculated that the United States invaded Iraq
to weaken a state seen as a threat to Israel and to allow Israel to
make inroads in the Arab world. Toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had
been a vocal opponent of Israel and funded hard-line Palestinian groups. [more ]
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