Israel wants to end war as soon as able: Olmert

JERUSALEM, July 26: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today said he hoped to end Israel's war against Hizbollah guerillas as quickly as possible, though only once it achieves its goals, a parliamentary official said.

Olmert, who made the comments to a key parliamentary committee, had until now stressed more the determination to keep fighting Hizbollah than to end the fighting quickly.

''We want to stop the operation as fast as possible, but we will not conclude it until we achieve the results which would justify the price we have paid and which would prevent us paying a price which we cannot pay,'' Olmert was quoted as saying by a parliamentary official.

REUTERS