Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke this afternoon, with US President George Bush, who had telephoned in order to wish him a rapid recovery.

Prime Minister Sharon thanked US President Bush for his sincere concern while the former was hospitalized and said that he had undergone another series of tests prior to being discharged.  The Prime Minister said that he would rest a few days at his Jerusalem residence and would return to work as soon as possible.

US President Bush said that he was very concerned over the Prime Minister’s health and wished to give him some medical advice: “Watch what you eat, start physical training and work fewer hours.”  The US President said that he hopes to see the result of his medical advice regarding weight and physical training when he sees the Prime Minister in another approximately two months.  US President Bush said that when the Prime Minister had previously told him how many hours he worked per day, he got tired just hearing about it, and urged him to be careful.

US President Bush said that he views Prime Minister Sharon as a true partner and a brave leader who provides strong leadership and has a vision for peace.  The US President said that in order to defeat terrorism together, the Prime Minister could not be in a hospital: “I need you to be healthy. People love strong leadership that is built on principles and you have proven this.”

The two men also discussed recent developments in the Palestinian Authority
and the need to fight and defeat terrorism in order to make it possible to move the peace process forward.