Syria cannot be a partner in peace talks with Israel so long as it backs Iran and terrorist groups, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu party) told the German-language newspaper Zeitung.
His declaration officially reverses the policy of immediate past Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who established indirect negotiations with Syria on the basis that direct talks would take place if Damascus were to cut ties with terrorist groups.
He also reiterated the campaign pledge of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the Golan Heights, located along the Syrian border, is not negotiable. Olmert, who once took a similar stand, did not rule out handing the area over to Syria, which made surrender of the strategic Golan a condition for peace with the Jewish state.
"We need to look at the reality,” Lieberman told Zeiting. “Until today, Syria is hosting the headquarters of terror organizations such as Hamas and the [Islamic] Jihad. Syria supports Hizbullah and its arms trafficking into southern Lebanon. Syria supports Iran's nuclear program. That is why I cannot see in Syria a real partner for any type of agreement," Lieberman said.
Concerning the Palestinian Authority, he called on the international community to continue to fund the Ramallah-based government in order to promote economic security “to convince [them] that they have a better future ahead of them and that a peaceful resolution would improve their lives.”
Foreign Minister Lieberman also downplayed the chances of Israel carrying out a military attack on Iran to halt or destroy its nuclear program. "The most effective way is to impose very harsh sanctions. “We are not talking about a military strike. Israel cannot solve a global problem militarily.”
The Foreign Minister has carefully chosen his interviews with media since taking office less than a month ago. His first interview with an Israeli newspaper was the English language Jerusalem Post, which is to publish the full report this week.
Following the Knesset election in February and before the formation of the Netanyahu-led coalition, he selected the New York Jewish Week as a venue for an article on his proposal for a loyalty oath that Israeli Arabs would be required to take.