Lieberman: Syria no partner for peace
In interview with Austrian newspaper, FM says Damascus 'must stop supporting terror before negotiations launched'; adds US should be responsible for resolving face-off with Iran over nuclear program
Avigdor Lieberman expressed doubts regarding the possibility of a peace agreement between Israel and Syria, saying "before negotiations are launched, they must stop supporting terror and shut down the terror groups' headquarters. Only then will we be able to discuss the future our relations.
In an interview with Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, published Saturday, the Israeli foreign minister said "we must face reality; until now Syria has served as a haven for Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It supports Hizbullah and the smuggling of arms to south Lebanon. Syria also backs Iran's nuclear program and is only strengthening its ties with Tehran. Therefore, I cannot view Syria as a genuine partner in any agreement."
In the interview Lieberman also rejected the land-for-peace concept, saying that "so far it has not produced any results. What have all of (Israel's) withdrawals led to? Hizbullah and rockets. This proposal simply doesn’t work."
'We are not talking about a military strike'
Asked by Kleine Zeitung on the necessary conditions for peace, Lieberman said "the diplomatic process is not vital to the establishment lasting peace. The most important thing for us is security, and the most critical issue for the Palestinians is the economic situation. Anyone can imagine what would happen in Austria if the unemployment rate would reach 40% and people would earn an average monthly salary of 150 euros; this is the Palestinians' current situation.
"The West should not only to allocate funds to the Palestinians, but also invest in specific projects that will create jobs. Without this, it will be impossible to convince (the Palestinians) that they have a better future ahead of them and that a peaceful resolution would improve their lives," the FM said.
The newspaper further quoted Lieberman as saying that "Hamas did not win the elections on account of its extremist ideology, but because it competed against a corrupt (Palestinian Authority), which was ineffective. Hamas built schools and cared for the ill – that is why it won the elections."
Asked whether Israel would be willing to negotiate with Hamas, Lieberman said "this is impossible. How can the Israeli government talk to an organization that declares daily that it wants to kill all the Jews? Just look at how many Fatah members they have killed."
The FM told the newspaper he does not believe Israel can tackle the Iranian nuclear threat on its own. "The most effective way (to curtail Tehran's nuclear program) is to impose very harsh sanctions. The UN's resolutions are insufficient. This method worked with Libya. Iran must be isolated.
"We are not talking about a military strike. Israel cannot solve a global problem militarily. Instead, I propose that the US, as the world's greatest power, take it upon itself to resolve the Iranian issue," he said.
