Prime Minister

A peace agreement with the Palestinians would have rehabilitated Ehud Olmert's reputation. And that's not solely a reference to allegations of misconduct that now engulf him. A sharp-tongued arrogance, brash style and shrewd intellect characterized his political persona before he became Israel's prime minister in 2006. Since then, he has modified his hard-line views and hardball tactics and become an advocate of peace. It was his hope to deliver an agreement with the Palestinians. But in this part of the world, hope is often fleeting.

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, embroiled in a high-profile corruption investigation, announced yesterday that he will resign after his party chooses a new leader in September elections. The televised announcement injected new uncertainty into Israeli politics and Middle East peace efforts, coming just as Olmert has been intensifying negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as well as Syria. It also raises questions about the political legacies of both President Bush and Olmert, who have hoped to burnish their reputations by achieving breakthroughs in Middle East peace talks before leaving office.

BRONISLAW GEREMEK , 76 Ex-d issident, foreign minister Bronislaw Geremek - a key figure in the Solidarity trade union that helped topple communism and, later, Poland's foreign minister - was killed in a car accident yesterday, police said. Mr. Geremek was driving a Mercedes that collided head-on with a van yesterday afternoon near the western Polish village of Miedzichowo, said Hanna Wachowiak, a regional police spokeswoman. The activist-turned-politician had been serving as a member of European Parliament since being elected in 2004.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to Washington gives him something to talk about besides cash-filled envelopes from an American Jewish businessman. His expected meeting today at the White House provides an opportunity for Mr. Olmert to act as a statesman and leave behind the allegations of political corruption that have preoccupied Jerusalem. He can focus on peace talks, not suspected illegal campaign contributions. It's a momentary reprieve because Mr. Olmert's political troubles are sure to preoccupy him when he returns to Israel and could force him out of office before an agreement with the Palestinians is reached.

JERUSALEM - The political noose around Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, tightened a notch yesterday when the defense minister called on him to remove himself from his post pending the outcome of a high-profile corruption investigation in which Olmert is embroiled. But Olmert seemed determined to stay put. "The prime minister is convinced that as this investigation continues it will become absolutely clear he did nothing wrong," said an official close to Olmert. "He doesn't want to see the political process trump the legal one," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to discuss the matter in public.

MOSCOW -- Dmitry Medvedev, a corporate lawyer tapped and groomed for the Kremlin by Vladimir V. Putin, was sworn in as president yesterday under the watchful gaze of his mentor and predecessor. As soon as the ceremony was over, just as they had planned for months, Medvedev nominated Putin for prime minister. With the two men apparently poised to rule in tandem, Russians were left waiting with a mix of anxiety and curiosity for hints of who's really in charge: Medvedev, 42, who holds the highest job in the land, or Putin, the former KGB officer and wily politician who seems determined to keep a grip on power.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister who alternately wheedled and prodded Northern Ireland into an historic peace agreement, announced yesterday he was resigning in the midst of a long-running investigation of his financial ties to businesspeople. Flanked by his ministers, the 56-year-old politician said in an emotional statement that he would step down May 6. The date comes shortly after a planned address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress and the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement, which helped end decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto picked a respected but lesser-known party leader yesterday as its candidate for prime minister, a move that analysts and some party insiders said could pave the way for Bhutto's widower to seek the job in a few months. Yousuf Raza Gillani, a former assembly speaker who spent more than four years in jail under President Pervez Musharraf, eclipsed Bhutto's deputy, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who had been seen as the front-runner.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A new parliament dominated by foes of President Pervez Musharraf was inaugurated yesterday, ushering in what probably will be a concerted effort by the victorious opposition to curtail the near-total powers the Pakistani leader once held. The buoyant atmosphere, however, was dimmed by signs of potential disarray within the newly ascendant coalition formed by the two main opposition parties after they swept last month's parliamentary elections. The party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, which won the largest share of seats, has yet to put forth a candidate for prime minister.