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Photo: EPA
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Photo: EPA

Lieberman: We will do everything to maintain Jordan’s stability

During meeting with German Foreign Minister, Lieberman addresses increased threat of ISIS on Hashemite Kingdom, declares: ‘The stability of Jordan is Israel’s national and vital interest.’

In face of the increased threat from the Sunni terrorist group ISIS on Jordan’s borders, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman declared on Monday during a meeting in Berlin with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, that Jordan’s stability is an Israeli national interest and that Israel will do everything to maintain that stability.

 

 

The threat posed to the Middle East from the extremist Sunni organization, which declared the elimination of the borders drawn by the Sykes–Picot Agreement in the Middle East and the establishment of an alternative in the area of the border between Iraq and Syria, as well as the escalating tensions between Israel and the Palestinians – were among the main issues for discussion between the two ministers.

 

“There is no doubt that the establishment of a Palestinian unity government gave Hamas legitimacy and motivation to create an escalation in the area.

 

"They feel more safe and popular today, therefore the kidnapping of the teens by two Hamas terrorists and the daily fire on Israel are the result of the same government. We cannot tolerate this situation and we will have to take very determined action,” Lieberman stressed.

 

The German Foreign Minister said, for his part: “The situation in the region is alarming. First of all, regarding the fate of the three Israeli teens, I hope for their safe return to their families. I want to emphasize that the missile attacks from Gaza on Israel are unacceptable.

 

"However," Steinmeier added, "despite these events, it should be strived to prevent a new escalation between Israel and Palestine. I hope that it will be possible to create conditions to continue the halted peace negotiations. Ultimately, there is no alternative but to return to the negotiating table and to the idea of the two-state solution.”

 

“ISIS in Iraq poses a threat to the territorial wholeness of Iraq’s and to the entire region,” the German Foreign Minister emphasized. “It should be in the interest of everyone that ISIS will not solidify its grip and that the alternative that the organization declared on will not become a center of terrorism and violence.

 

We saw in the Golan how events in the area can affect Israel’s security. We have to make sure that an internal solution will be found for the problems in Iraq and that a government will be established that will  proportionally represent all the ethnic groups and factions, as to take away the main base of ISIS supporters among the Sunni population.”

 

Ahead of the renewal of negotiations on Wednesday between Iran and world powers about the future of Iran’s nuclear program, Lieberman stressed that Israel’s position is that Iran should not be allowed to enrich uranium, that all Iranian centrifuges should be dismantled and that enriched uranium material should be taken out from Iran.

 

Lieberman and Steinmeier refrained from expressing explicit support for the declaration of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq, in light of the dramatic events in that country.

 

“The future of Iraq as a country depends first and foremost on the people living in the country,” Lieberman said.

 

“We cannot give advice. We are following the events there and are trying to be with both feet on the ground. The reality today is that it is probably almost impossible to prevent the establishment of an independent Kurdish state.”

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.01.14, 12:18
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