Israel Expects More Objective Approach from World: Lieberman to Ban
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has told United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon that Israel expects a more objective and constructive approach from the international community, said media reports.
Ban is likely to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Moscow on Friday to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process, said reports.
According to the US State Department, former British premier Tony Blair, the Quartet representative for economic development in Palestinian territories and US special envoy George Mitchell will also attend the meeting, reports said.
On Saturday, Ban is expected to travel to Israel, said reports.
“We are getting the feeling that all of the effort and positive steps Israel has taken over the last year, including (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s) Bar-Ilan speech, the settlement freeze and the removal of checkpoints have been taken for granted by the international community,” Lieberman was quoted as saying.
“There has been no encouragement or incentive toward Israel as a result of these steps, only additional pressure, complaints and demands,” he was quoted as saying.
“Israel expects a more objective and constructive approach from the international community,” Lieberman was quoted as saying.
Also, he asserted that Gaza had not humanitarian crisis, said reports.
“We know from experience that the demand to bring construction materials and steel (into the Gaza) is designed to have Hamas confiscate the materials and use them to build rockets and bunkers.”
On Monday, the European Union made a new push to revive the stalled Mideast peace process, offering to raise aid to the Palestinians and beef up its security missions in Lebanon and the Palestinian areas to help Israel.
(Based on internet reports)
