[Wall Street Journal] Charles Levinson - On his first day as foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman said at a press conference Wednesday, "There is one document that obligates us - and that's not the Annapolis conference, it has no validity." The signed joint-declaration at the end of the conference was short on specifics and never submitted to the government or parliament for approval. Lieberman said Israel would instead abide by the 2002 Roadmap for peace, which delays discussion of Palestinian statehood until after Palestinians clamp down on terror and meet a series of other conditions. "Those who think that through concessions they will gain respect and peace are wrong," he added. "It's the other way around; it will lead to more wars." An Israeli foreign ministry official said he believed the Obama administration was uninterested in reviving the Annapolis agreement, which is closely associated with the Bush administration's failed peace efforts. Neither President Obama nor Secretary of State Clinton has raised Annapolis in conversations with the Israelis, the official said. "I think basically Annapolis is not their baby and they are looking to create another framework for negotiations," said the official.
2009-04-02 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive