Saturday, June 20, 2009

Lieberman: Palestinians using settlements to avoid peace

Jun. 20, 2009
E.B. Solomont ,Jerusalem Post Correspondent , THE JERUSALEM POST

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said settlements are not an obstacle to achieving peace during his trip to the US on Friday, accused the Palestinians of using the issue as an excuse to try and avoid peace talks. . Visiting New York after his trip to Washington, D.C., where he maintained Israel's opposition to a settlement freeze, Lieberman downplayed the issue as a potential thorn in the relationship between Israel and the United States.

Further, he said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is enjoying support from American Jews following his speech on June 14, in which he endorsed the possibility of a two-state solution with a demilitarized Palestinian state.

"We agree on many points," Lieberman told reporters at a news conference at the United Nations on Friday, referring to the United States and Israel. He said it was natural that even close friends - such as the two countries are - disagree.

But he emphasized that "settlements are not an obstacle to achieve peace."

"It's very clear that it's not the settlements. It's an excuse for those that try to avoid any peace talks," he said at the briefing, which followed a meeting between the Israeli foreign minister and UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon.

Lieberman said the two discussed a range of issues, from the relationship between the Israel and the United Nations to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They also touched on the situation in Iran and the "crazy nuclear arms race," according to Lieberman, which he described as a threat not only to Israel but to the entire world.

Lieberman stated that Israel is ready for peace talks with Palestinians - and other countries in the region - and insisted that Israel does not have preconditions to such dialogue.

"We have our position, we don't have any preconditions," he said, emphasizing that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to their positions. "Every side will try to convince the other side," he said.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184877876&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

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