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Israeli Foreign Minister: Peace Cannot Be Achieved by Coercion
[Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs] Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was interviewed on Israel Radio on Monday: Q: Europe is now proposing, through [EU envoy] Javier Solana, that the UN unilaterally announce the establishment of a Palestinian state, should the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians fail. Lieberman: "The statement should be construed in the context of a very human situation. Javier Solana is about to retire, he will be leaving his position by the end of the year, someone else will replace him. Like anyone else in a similar situation, he too is attempting to make a few statements, to leave a legacy, to be remembered for some unique accomplishment. But when push comes to shove, everyone knows that the existing agreements in this region were never achieved by coercion but only by direct communication between the two parties. We have the successful precedents of the peace with Egypt and peace with Jordan, both of which were achieved only by direct talks between the two parties. Therefore we hold on to the concept that peace cannot be forced upon anyone; peace must be built. It is up to us to build peace, it cannot be achieved by coercion." "Only recently we heard President Obama speaking in great detail about the conflict in the Middle East, and he too said that there is no substitute for direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and that nothing can be accomplished by coercion."