Middle East News

May 3, 2009, 9:44 GMT

Israel's new Foreign Minister Lieberman set for first European trip

Jerusalem - Israel's new Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was scheduled Sunday night to leave for a first official visit to Europe that would include talks with officials in Italy, France, Germany and the Czech Republic. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Yigal Palmor would give no further details of the four-day trip, but the Yediot Ahronot daily reported that Lieberman wants to lay the groundwork for the presentation of the new government's peace policies, which are currently being formulated. The hard-line foreign minister also wants to try block voices within the European Union calling for a freeze in upgrading Israel-EU ties unless progress is made in peace talks with the Palestinians. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told the Israeli daily that if Israel wanted to continue enjoying Italy's support in Europe, it had to take 'suitable positions' and declare its support for continuing the peace process. Frattini also called on the blunt-speaking Lieberman to 'lower the tone' of his declarations and to work toward an atmosphere of cooperation.' Lieberman, head of a nationalist party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, caused a stir on his first day as foreign minister when he announced that Israel was no longer bound by the so-called Annapolis peace process, which formed the basis of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 2008. Instead, Lieberman said, Israel was prepared to adhere only to the road map peace plan, a performance-based initiative from 2003, which like the Annapolis process, sees the creation of a Palestinian state as the end result of the peace process.

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