Washington - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said Thursday there will not be a complete freeze on settlement
expansions, rebuffing a key demand by the United States for moving
forward on the Mideast peace process.
Lieberman said in Washington that settlements in the West Bank
must be expanded to accommodate 'natural growth' and reiterated
claims that the Bush administration had assured Israel that position
was acceptable to Washington.
'In every place around the world, babies are born and people get
married, some pass away, and so we cannot accept this vision about
absolutely, completely freezing of settlements,' Lieberman said
after meeting with Clinton at the State Department. 'I think that we
must keep the natural growth.'
US President Barack Obama and Clinton have emphasized that Israel
must end settlement expansion under the international peace plan in
what has been a growing dispute between the two sides over resuming
peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
'We want to see a stop to the settlements,' Clinton said. 'We
think that is an important and essential part of pursuing the
efforts leading to a comprehensive peace agreement and the creation
of a Palestinian state.'
The meeting took place two days after Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu outlined his plans for approaching the peace
process. In a concession to Washington, Netanyahu said he would
accept the creation of a Palestinian state but with conditions that
include a Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
Clinton also repeated US assertions that there were no secret
deals with the Israelis regarding settlement expansion.
'In looking at the history of the Bush administration, there were
no informal or oral enforceable agreements,' Clinton said.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story