Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman softened his rhetoric on Sunday morning, saying in an IDF Army Radio interview that he would be willing to negotiate with Syria “as early as this evening”, but only without the precondition of retreating from the Golan, which Syrian President Bashar Assad has demanded.
Lieberman made headlines on Saturday when he told a German newspaper that he does not see Syria as a “partner for peace.” U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood promptly responded to the statement: “There needs to be peace between Israel and Syria.”
Lieberman followed up by saying he was willing to talk to Syria, but qualified the statement, adding, “Lately I’ve heard Assad saying that if Israel doesn’t give up the Golan Heights, he’ll take it by force. That’s not even a precondition – that’s an ultimatum.”
The Foreign Minister also wasn’t optimistic about negotiations. “I don’t see Syria as Israel’s partner, because it supports terrorist organizations and Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” he said.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak was reportedly “outraged” at Lieberman’s comments, and said that a peace deal with Syria was critical to Israel’s security. “True, the negotiations need to include dismantling the terrorist leadership in Damascus, but peace talks are critical for Israel’s interests in the Middle East,” he said.
The Defense Minister added that Israel should make peace with Syria at the same time it pursues peace with the Palestinian Authority. “We should find a way to continue negotiations with Syria in a way that doesn’t contradict our peace plans with the PA,” he said.
Lieberman, on the other hand, said Israel would be taking a new approach to negotiations with the PA. “We are an independent country,” he said, hinting he wouldn’t bow to pressure from the U.S. “We are formulating a new diplomatic policy and the Americans respect this,” he said.