JERUSALEM, March 30 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he wants to talk to leaders from Saudi Arabia about the prospect of Middle East peace.
"Saudi Arabia is the country that in the end will determine the ability of the Arabs to reach a compromise with Israel," Olmert said in an interview appearing in a weekend supplement to Haaretz.
Arab countries renewed their support for the 2002 Saudi peace initiative at a summit in Riyadh on Thursday and also agreed to commit to developing diplomatic ties with Israel if a peace plan can be worked out.
Olmert told Haaretz he'd participate in a regional conference on direct negotiations between Israel and Palestinians.
"A bloc of states is emerging that understands that they may have been wrong to think that Israel is the world's greatest problem. That is a revolutionary change in outlook," Olmert told Haaretz. "There are interesting ideas there and we are ready to hold discussions and hear from the Saudis about their approach and to tell them about ours."
