Netanyahu meets with Pelosi, Boehner

WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu repeated his concern about an Iran with nuclear weapons Tuesday in meetings with U.S. congressional leaders.

During his visit to Capitol Hill, Netanyahu met with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee then with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

"We face opportunities and challenges. The challenges -- the arming of Iran, the potential arming of Iran with nuclear weapons capabilities," Netanyahu said before his meeting with Pelosi and Boehner. "That is a great danger to all of us, to Israel specifically, to the modern Arab regime, to America."

If Iran were armed with nuclear weapons and provided nuclear weapons to terrorists, "the consequences could be unimaginable," Netanyahu said.

Simultaneously, Israel wants to seek advancement of peace with the Palestinians, he said.

Pelosi said any two-state solution must "provide for a Democratic, Jewish state of Israel, living side-by-side with her Palestinian neighbors."

Boehner said the United States and Israel had a number of areas of mutual interest, especially the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

"(Clearly), what happens with regards to dealing with the Palestinians is of concern to all of us and I think that we share ... a mutual concern about the development of nuclear weapons ... in Iran."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is scheduled to visit Washington May 26 and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be in Washington May 28.