Israel flinches at FM's UN comments

Israeli leaders are trying to distance themselves from remarks by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman about the unlikelihood of peace in the Middle East. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Lieberman said he believed that Israel must arrive at an interim agreement with the Palestinians that "could take a few decades," and that an ultimate agreement would require population and territorial exchanges. The comments enraged Palestinian delegates, who reacted by walking out of the session. After his UN speech, Lieberman spoke to Israel's Channel 2 news where he accused the Palestinians for lacking interest in peace, saying that Israel should stop blaming itself for failing to achieve it.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak emphasized late on Tuesday that the comments did not reflect the Israeli regime's stance and certainly not the Labor party's attitude, confirming his party believed in a continuation of talks and finding a breakthrough, the Jerusalem Post reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had disassociated itself almost immediately from the minister's UN remarks by informing the media that his speech had not been coordinated with the premier.