Barak pleased with 'serious dialogue' in Washington

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday he was pleased with the "serious dialogue" between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama during their meeting on Monday.

While most reports about the summit underscored the apparent disagreement between the two leaders, Barak, who spoke with the prime minister following the meeting said that "we are at the beginning of serious dialogue with the Americans; it will take time and tackle all the current issues."

On Tuesday Barak examined the progress in the separation fence's construction and later visited the Central Command, accompanied by senior officers.

The defense minister said he was pleased with President Obama's initiative for a regional peace accord. "I believe this is the right approach and that most regional leaders, and certainly us in Israel, believe this is the right path.

"I was glad to hear that the president understands that the Iranian issue is a serious one. The challenge is not only how to negotiate with the Iranians, but also what to do if it turns out that they continue to strive for military nuclear power," he added.

According to Barak Israel maintains that "the time for sanctions should be limited and short, and subsequent to dialogue, which should also be brief. Israel does not rule out any option, and we recommend others to do the same."

When asked to comment on the issue of the tow-state solution, which Netanyahu has been persistently avoiding, Barak answered: "My position and that of the Labor Party is clear – we support two states for two people. But I don't believe that these words would cause Iran to stop building centrifuges.

"Israel has said before it is for two states for two people, and this did not cause the Palestinians to fall into our arms and make the tough decisions that are still needed."

Commenting on the illegal construction in the West Bank, the defense minister said: "the illegal outposts are not a problem between us and the Americans or the Palestinians, but an internal problem. In a law-abiding state the state and the government must have authority over their citizens.

"A self-respecting country cannot accept, for example, the construction of outposts on private Palestinian land, and we will have to act on these matters," he concluded.