Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Monday called for stronger ties between Israel and the European Union Jerusalem Post reported
"What they call the upgrading between Europe and Israel must not stop because that way Europe can play a major role" in the Middle East peace process, Frattini said at a press conference in Rome alongside his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman.
It comes some two weeks after the EU's external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, told reporters in Brussels that Israel must make clear its commitment to pursue peace negotiations with the Palestinians before ties between Jerusalem and the European Union can be upgraded.
Following his meeting with Frattini, Lieberman said that the "main problem" in the Middle East was "Iran, which is going nuclear and is a destabilizing factor for the region and the entire world."
Lieberman emphasized Israel's commitment to Middle East peace and said the government was aiming for tangible results.
"This government's goal is not produce slogans or make pompous declarations, but to reach concrete results," he said when asked if he would ever endorse a Palestinian state.
Lieberman said he was confident Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet would "reach a secure and definitive peace with the Palestinians and the Arab nations around us."
The foreign minister stressed the government was still drawing up its new foreign policy, which Netanyahu is expected to unveil before talks with US President Barack Obama in mid-May.
The new foreign minister is on his first diplomatic mission since taking office and he is set to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday.
His four-day European trip will also take him to the Czech Republic, France and Germany.
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