Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, I believe we met in St Petersburg in June. I am happy to see you again here in Moscow.
Israel is one of Russia's priority partners in the Middle East. We have also developed friendly relations over the past decades. We certainly value our contact and plan to continue promoting it.
Last year trade between our two countries reached nearly billion, which is fairly strong. Unfortunately, growth rates decreased in early 2009, but began to recover in the second half. We have far-reaching plans for cooperation in high tech, nanotechnology and in energy.
We are glad to see you. Welcome!
Avigdor Lieberman: Thank you. We had a very productive meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov as part of the Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Relations. I'd like to highlight that I have been watching over the commission's operation for many years and can say that it is very effective today.
I can always cite one way to reduce red tape and really make a difference. I am referring to the visa-free process established between Russia and Israel. This is likely to double the number of Russian tourists traveling to Israel to 400,000 this year from 170,000. The number of Israelis travelling to Russia is expected to double as well. Airline seats will be more fully occupied, and hotels, too. There will be more flights as well.
This is the most vivid example. We also discussed May 9 Victory Day celebrations, which will be held in Israel and in Russia as well. We'll exchange war veteran delegations.
I believe that 2010 will be a landmark year in our relations. We plan to reach a consensus on many agreements, which will not get bogged down in red tape, including measures to help protect Russian and Israeli investment.
The commission will invite the business communities from both countries to its next session in April 2010. This session has been really successful and productive. I will be happy to see you in Israel next year.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. You know that there is a large Russian community in Israel, and you are part of it. I am glad that people from the Soviet Union built such brilliant political careers in Israel. This is something that unites us in a way that is unlike with any other country.
Thank you for the invitation. I will certainly be there. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Âñ¸ ïðàâèëüíî. Íî åñòü îäèí ìà-àëåíüêèé ïóíêòèê: Ëèáåðìàí - îôèöèàëüíîå ëèöî è åâðåé. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Äëÿ òåõ êòî íå ïîíÿë óòî÷íþ: Ëèáåðìàí - åâðåé, îôèöèàëüíîå ëèöî è ïðåäñòàâèòåëü åâðåéñêîãî ãîñóäàðñòâà Èçðàèëü, ãäå æèâóò åâðåè. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday urged Israeli diplomats to show the world that Israel has "done enough" in its efforts to try to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Lieberman told the more than 100 diplomats gathered at his office not to expect the Palestinians to sign a peace agreement with Israel in the next 10 years.
I put the ideology and the politics side by side and try to estimate them in an objective way," he said. "What is the chance for any sort of permanent agreement? We must remember that it all depends on them."
"I've reached the conclusion that even if we do retreat to the 1967 borders, it won't bring an end to the conflict," he declared. "Even if we retreat to the last centimeter, nothing will change."
Lieberman also said that the international community was growing less concerned with the Middle East conflict and urged the envoys to "broadcast to the world that we have done enough."
"From the moment this government was established, we said we were prepared for negotiations with the Palestinians," he said. "We have gone above and beyond; even the decision to freeze settlement construction was dramatic, not simple, yet we did it.
"The proof in the pudding is now up to the other side," said Lieberman. "We must get the world used to the fact that they are no wonder cures, just long-term interim arrangements that will last a decade or two. Until then, we won't reach an agreement."
Lieberman: Syria wants to talk? Not with Turkey as mediator
In his address to the diplomats, Lieberman also declared that Turkey had no place in mediating peace talks between Israel and Syria, despite "hints" to the contrary made by his government colleagues.
Lieberman lambasted Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Labor chairman and high-ranking ministers, who accused of "proposing and hinting that there is place for Turkish mediation."
"Stop creating illusions and disseminating things that have no connection to reality," Lieberman warned, in an address to more than 100 Israeli diplomats gathered at the foreign ministry. "If you think that after [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogans comments [about Israel] we would agree to Turkish mediation, even if it meant smiles and visit, forget about it."
"So long as I am foreign minister and Yisrael Beiteinu is in the government, there will be no Turkish mediation," Lieberman vowed. "The Syrians want to talk? Then direct negotiations, only."
During Ehud Olmert's tenure as prime minister, Turkey mediated five rounds of talks between Israeli and Syrian officials. Toward the end of Olmert's term the two sides were on the verge of resuming direct negotiations.
At the last meeting between Olmert and Erdogan, the Turkish leader called Syrian President Bashar Assad and relayed messages to and from Olmert. But after Operation Cast Lead earlier this year and the freeze in negotiations with Syria, Erdogan said Olmert had stabbed him in the back _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Dozens of Israeli ambassadors were brought to Jerusalem this week from around the world to learn from the minister in charge about forgotten chapters in Israel's foreign policy. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insists on bringing back the Israel of the bad old days of "the whole world is against us" and "there's no one to talk to." The foreign minister, the man responsible for promoting Israel's standing in the international community as a peace-loving country, presented a shamefully bullying approach. Lieberman has already become unwelcome in key countries in the Middle East and Europe. He has turned his chair into a jester's throne, the chair once occupied by people like Moshe Sharett, Golda Meir, Abba Eban, Yigal Allon, Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir.
While the president and defense minister are working to rehabilitate strategic relations with Turkey, the foreign minister arrogantly closes the window that this important Muslim country has opened to Syria. On the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Cairo to try to unfreeze the talks with the Palestinians, Lieberman called the Palestinian Authority "a bunch of terrorists." Arab countries, who have been proposing since 2002 a normalization of relations with Israel, err in having fantasies, the foreign minister says. A few days after the Palestinian president declared publicly that a peace agreement based on the 1967 lines would end demands on Israel, the foreign minister "reached the conclusion" that even returning to the Green Line would not lead to the end of the conflict.
Using blunt language, Lieberman made clear to the ministry staff that his worldview is the one that represents Israel. The next day, Netanyahu told them that conditions were ripe for a renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians. This is not a question of differing nuances; the conflicting messages show an Israel given over to the hands of a bizarre government that is deceiving its citizens as well as its neighbors and friends around the world.
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Israel cannot allow itself to have an extreme and irresponsible politician like Lieberman as its showcase to the world. Lieberman's appointment as foreign minister is turning out to be one of Netanyahu's most serious mistakes in putting together his cabinet. If the prime minister really wants to move a peace initiative ahead and win the trust of the international community, he must correct this mistake and release Lieberman from his post _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman opted to conclude last week's conference of Israeli ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry by chastising the 150 or so diplomats on Thursday for what he described as their tendency to overly placate their host nations.
Lieberman, who opened the conference last Sunday with a tirade against Turkey, the Palestinians and European countries, concluded it by reprimanding Israeli diplomats. "I have seen that some ambassadors identify themselves with the other side to such an extent that they are all the time trying to justify and explain [the position of the other side]," Lieberman told the shocked audience.
The problem with Israeli diplomacy over the years, Lieberman argued, is that it does not do enough to preserve the honor of the State of Israel.
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"Terms like 'national honor' have value in the Middle East," the foreign minister pointed out. "There is no need to provoke or exaggerate, but there must not be an attitude of obsequiousness and self-deprecation, and the need to always justify the other side. This is a wrong approach," Lieberman said.
"We will not seek reasons for confrontation and friction, but we will not turn the other cheek," Lieberman said. "There will be a response to everything. This is the policy I want the ambassadors [to implement]. The era of groveling is over. We must be on good terms and respect the host nations, but we will not tolerate insults and challenges."
Lieberman addressed the forum of ambassadors for about 20 minutes, but no opportunity to ask questions or comment was given to the diplomats. A senior source at the Foreign Ministry said that some of the ambassadors who had expressed frustration with Lieberman in private earlier this week, and had said that they intended to confront Lieberman and "tell him precisely what they think," did not get a chance.
"During this entire conference there was not even a single panel in which it was possible to hold a direct and frank dialogue with the foreign minister," one of the ambassadors said. "The prime minister one can ask questions, Minister [Dan] Meridor one can ask questions, and even the head of the Shin Bet it is possible to ask questions. Only from the foreign minister we received a monologue without being able to hold a discussion."
Many ambassadors also expressed their sense of confusion at the conflicting messages relayed to them by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lieberman. At the opening to the conference Lieberman stressed that the Palestinian Authority were "a bunch of terrorists," adding that there is no chance of reaching peace with the Palestinians in the coming 20 years.
The following day, Netanyahu delivered a different message, with Lieberman watching on. Netanyahu said that the conditions for resuming negotiations with the Palestinians are reaching maturation, and spoke favorably of the need to reach a peace agreement and establish a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a Jewish State of Israel. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Ñðåäè ïðî÷åãî, â ïëàí Ëèáåðìàíà âõîäÿò ïðåäëîæåíèå ïîñòðîèòü â ñåêòîðå Ãàçû ìîùíóþ ýëåêòðîñòàíöèþ, îïðåñíèòåëüíûå óñòàíîâêè è âîäîî÷èñòíûå ñîîðóæåíèÿ, à òàêæå ðàçðåøèòü ìàññîâîå æèëèùíîå ñòðîèòåëüñòâî â ñåêòîðå. Ïîìèìî ýòîãî, Èçðàèëü ñíèìåò ìîðñêóþ áëîêàäó ñåêòîðà è îòìåíèò îãðàíè÷åíèÿ íà äîñòàâêó â ñåêòîð ðàçëè÷íûõ ãðóçîâ.
Îäíîâðåìåííî, ïî èäåå Ëèáåðìàíà, Èçðàèëü äîëæåí ãåðìåòè÷íî çàêðûòü ñîáñòâåííóþ ãðàíèöó ñ ñåêòîðîì, îáúÿâèòü î ïîëíîì ïðåêðàùåíèè îêêóïàöèè è äîáèòüñÿ ðàçìåùåíèÿ íà åãèïåòñêîé ãðàíèöå ñ Ãàçîé ñîëäàò Ôðàíöóçñêîãî èíîñòðàííîãî ëåãèîíà è ïîäðàçäåëåíèé ñïåöèàëüíîãî íàçíà÷åíèÿ äðóãèõ ñòðàí ñ öåëüþ áîðüáû ñ êîíòðàáàíäîé îðóæèÿ â ñåêòîð. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
The foreign ministers of Spain and France were furious with their Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, telling him Monday morning during a phone conversation that he had "violated every rule of diplomatic etiquette," an Israeli source reported on Monday.
During a dinner meeting on Sunday, Lieberman told France's Bernard Kouchner and Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos to "solve your own problems in Europe before you come to us with complaints. Maybe then I will be open to accepting your suggestions."
Lieberman emphasized to that "Israel will not be the Czechoslovakia of 2010," at their meeting at the foreign ministry offices in Jerusalem.
During the telephone conversation between the three FMs Monday, the European ministers voiced their extreme dismay with the fact that details of the meeting were made public an hour after it took place. "You violated our trust," they said to Lieberman.
Moratinos said that Lieberman had apologized for what had happened during the meeting, but Foreign Ministry officials denied this report, saying that Lieberman did not apologize but rather clarified that he did not intend for his remarks to be presented in the media as a reprimand of Kouchner and Moratinos.
The French and Spanish foreign ministers said that they were very surprised by Lieberman's remarks during Sunday's meeting, especially in light of the fact that, according to them, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made remarks contradicting Lieberman's tone mere hours before the meeting.
While Netanyahu told the European statesmen that he aims to achieve a peace agreement with the Palestinians within a year, Lieberman stressed to them that "anyone who talks like that is naïve." The men emphasized to Lieberman during their dinner that they completely disagreed with his assertion that a peace deal could not be achieved.
They explained to Lieberman that if a Palestinian state is not established within the next year or two, it would undermine Israel's security, urging Lieberman to take advantage of the current Palestinian leadership, as no one knows what the alternative will be in the future.
Meanwhile Monday, Lieberman denied the reports that the dinner was unpleasant, and said despite the fact that it was at times complicated, the dinner was "very tasty, and there was a good, honest and open atmosphere. We spoke openly, as friends do."
Lieberman added that he indeed spoke with Moratinos on the phone and described the conversation as "good." He stressed that he did not reprimand anyone, and said that "we need to stop squirming and stuttering. In Europe they passed the Burka ban law [France] and a Minaret ban [Switzerland] and no one got excited about it."
"In the reality of the middle East, only the strong survive," he added. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Ñäà¸òñÿ ìíå ÷òî òàêîé òàíäåì - Íåòàíèÿãó vs. Ëèáåðìàí - ïðîäóìàííàÿ ïîëèòèêà èìåþùàÿ ñâîåé öåëüþ ïîäíÿòü íàïðÿæåííîñòü ìåæäó Èçðàèëåì è Åâðîïîé (ïî êðàéíåé ìåðå Åâðîïîé) äî ìàêñèìóìà. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
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