IAfrica News

Burial for Mideast talks?

The new Israeli government has set a harsh tone in its first days in office, with statements being issued that could indicate a planned burial for Mideast talks. A day after he sparked criticism by saying Israel was not bound by a US-backed 2007 agreement to restart peace talks with the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday refused any withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria. "There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights," Lieberman told the Haaretz daily. The Golan is a strategic plateau that Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, which Damascus wants back as part of any peace treaty..

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