Israeli FM sees Pakistan biggest threat

TEL AVIV (Agencies) - Israel has declared that Pakistan is the biggest strategic threat to it than Iran. Israels hardline Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman raised doubts about Middle East peace initiatives advanced by US President Barack Obama. Believe me, America accepts all our decisions, said Lieberman in an interview with a Russian daily quoted by Israeli dail y Haaretz on Wednesday. After years of warning the Israeli public about an alleged Iranian threat, Lieberman said Iran is not Israels biggest strategic threat, but rather Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. Pakistan is nuclear and unstable and Afghanistan is faced with a potential Taliban takeover, and the combination forms a contiguous area of radicalism ruled in the spirit of Osama bin Laden, he said. Lieberman, whose party Yisrael Beiteinu won 15 seats in the countrys general elections in February, said Russia should have a more prominent role in the Middle East and in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Russia has a special influence in the Muslim world, and I consider it a strategic partner that should play a key role in the Middle East...I have argued for some time that Israel has insufficient appreciation for the 'Kremlin factor. I intend to mend this gap, said Lieberman. With regard to a two-state solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lieberman said it was a nice slogan that lacked substance. On Tuesday, Israels Army Radio, quoted by Haaretz said Lieberman ruled out an Arab peace initiative, after previously announcing that Israel was not bound to the US-backed peace process established by former president George W Bush. This is a dangerous proposal, a recipe for the destruction of Israel, he was quoted as telling a closed meeting of senior foreign ministry officials.

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