Sulaiman to meet Lieberman during visit to Israel

Friday April 17, 2009 12:07 by IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth reported on Friday that Egypt’s Intelligence Chief, Omar Sulaiman, will be holding a meeting with the new Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, during his visit to Israel next Wednesday.

This comes after the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Abu Al-Ghait, said that Egypt will not welcome Lieberman due to his insulting statements against Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak.

But on Friday Abu Al-Gheit said his country will not be boycotting any Israeli minister, including Lieberman.

Egyptian sources reported that Sulaiman’s visit to Israel comes to familiarize him with the new Israeli government, to observe Israel’s position regarding the issue of a prisoner-swap deal and the fate of the staled peace process.

Sulaiman’s visit is also meant to prepare for an anticipated meeting between Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Egyptian president, in July.

It is worth mentioning that on Thursday, Abu Al-Ghait told the Russia Today TV that Egypt will not deal with Lieberman, and that the country will not welcome him on its soil.

The “conflict” Lieberman and Egypt stems from last year when Lieberman was addressing the Knesset and said that Mubarak “can go to hell” while commenting on Mubarak’s rejections to visit Israel under the current conditions.

Lieberman never withdrew his statements until his speech earlier this month when he took office as Foreign Minister.

He did not actually apologize but said that he would like to visit Egypt and also welcomed Egyptian leaders, including Mubarak, to Israel.

Lieberman also said that Egypt plays an important role in regional stability.

Abu Al-Ghait: Lieberman not welcome in Cairo

Thursday April 16, 2009 00:24 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmad Abu Al-Ghait, stated Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman is not welcome in Egypt and will not be allowed to step into the country as long as he maintains his hostile positions towards the Egyptian President.

Egypt is still angry at Lieberman as he slammed the Egyptian president last year during a speech at the Knesset saying that “Mubarak can go to hell”.

Lieberman made this statement in criticism of the Egyptian president  not visiting Israel.

Mubarak has only visited Israel during the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.  

After Israeli elections brought Lieberman to the post of Foreign Minister, Egyptian officials said they will be boycotting Lieberman.

Abu Al-Ghait added that this position does not mean that his country would not work directly with the Israeli government, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported.

He described the new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, as an extremist, hard-line government, as its leaders speak of war and hostilities instead of peace.

It is worth mentioning that Lieberman, head of Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu) Party used to be a member of the terrorist Kach movement which was outlawed by Israel itself in 1994.