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Israel Ready for Talks with Arab Leaders "Without Preconditions"


[TIME] Tim McGirk and Romesh Ratnesar - Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told TIME that Israel is ready to start talks "without preconditions" with Arab leaders. "Even today, I'm ready to start talks with any country in our region. We agree with President Obama's approach to a regional settlement of historical disputes. I'm ready to take a jet to Damascus to meet President Bashir al-Assad." Referring to Iran, he said, "This really fanatic extremist regime is still in power, and the young people who are ready to fight and die for change are not getting any real support from the West....The fact that this regime continues to be an acceptable partner for dialogue is really a bad message. It shows the bad guys are winners." Lieberman also called demands that Israel halt construction in Jewish settlements a "mistake." "We are trying to formulate some understanding with the U.S. We don't speak of building new settlements. We don't speak of expansion. We try to build only within existing construction lines...[but] we cannot suffocate our own people."
2009-06-26 06:00:00
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