Meridor: Some things best kept private
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Prime Minister Netanyahu
Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor confirmed on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited Russia but declined to elaborate on the affair, which has triggered media accusations of official disinformation.
"He was in Russia. It created some controversy about the way it was published in Israel," he told Reuters in Geneva on the sidelines of a conference about global issues hosted by Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Denial
Foreign Minister Lavrov tells reporters ship that was hijacked near Sweden in late July did not carry batch of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles bound for Iran; 'I hope everyone will be convinced that the rumors are absolutely groundless,' he says
"The content was not discussed in public. Some things are better discussed (privately)," added Meridor, who is also minister of intelligence and atomic energy.
Netanyahu angered some newspapers on Thursday over what they described as lies issued by his office about a secret flight to Russia.
Explaining why he had disappeared from public view for a day, a statement issued on Monday by the Prime Minister's Office quoted his military attache as saying that Netanyahu had visited a security installation in Israel.
Reports said he had toured a Mossad facility, but on Wednesday Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Netanyahu had, in fact, flown secretly to Moscow to voice concern over the possible sale of Russian anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.
Reports of the Moscow visit followed the interception by Russian warships of a cargo ship off West Africa last month. Media reports, denied by Russia, said the Arctic Sea was carrying to Iran S-300 missiles that were detected by Israel.
The air defense missiles issue has been a sore point in relations between Moscow and Israel, which has lobbied Russia to pull away from selling them to Iran, saying they could protect nuclear facilities if Israel was to launch air strikes.