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Great legs and conversations in Russian

Uri Dan:

When Condoleezza Rice visits Ariel Sharon today, she'll be seeing the prime minister in a new way — on his 1,000-acre ranch.

The relationship between the two, described by Sharon aides as "friendly and informal," began when George W. Bush was first running for president and Sharon was head of Israel's Likud Party.

Even after Sharon mentioned to reporters following that meeting that Rice's attributes included "beautiful legs" — and he was denounced as "sexist" — their friendship blossomed into what became a secret channel between Jerusalem and the White House.

Rice, a scholar of Russia, and Sharon, who is of Russian heritage, have even discussed matters in fluent Russian, wowing others at their prior meetings.

During their working breakfast this morning at his Sycamores Farm, Sharon will tell the secretary of state that he is carrying out the promise he made to her in November 2003, when he first disclosed that he planned to make Israel's greatest concession to the Palestinians.

That promise will be fulfilled beginning Aug. 15, when 40,000 Israeli troops and police uproot 20 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and remove their more than 8,000 settlers.