JERUSALEM // A confidant of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said the Israeli leader will step down "immediately" after his party chooses a successor this month. The comment shoots down speculation that Mr Olmert would try to linger in office for months. The leader has already announced plans to resign in order to battle a corruption investigation. But he has been unclear when he would actually step aside. Mr Olmert's Kadima Party is scheduled to hold a primary next Wednesday, though the party could hold a run-off if no candidate receives 40 per cent of the vote.
Cabinet ministers Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz are the front-runners. The confidant of Mr Olmert says the Israeli leader will formally resign "immediately following the primary". He spoke on condition of anonymity because the Israeli leader has not made his plans public. *AP
