Report: Syria will not attend Euromed summit if Israel is present

Oct 3, 2010, 17:23 GMT

Damascus - Syria would not attend the Euromed summit in Barcelona next month if Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman attends, state media reported Sunday.

Syria had expressed its refusal to attend any summit at which Lieberman is present in a communique to the French government, al- Watan state newspaper wrote.

The announcement comes just two days after the leaders of Iran and Syria expressed hope of expanding the anti-Israeli bloc in the region, according to an Iranian presidential statement.

It also comes on the heels of Lieberman's speech at the UN General Assembly in which he said that a comprehensive peace agreement that included Israel and its Arab neighbours was unrealistic.

His statement contradicted ongoing US efforts to hold together shaky direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Lieberman's boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, immediately distanced himself from the minister's controversial remarks and said the speech had not been coordinated with him.

A Euromed summit scheduled to take place in Istanbul last year was cancelled when Egypt and other Arab members refused to attend due Lieberman's presence after he threatened Israel would bomb the Aswan Dam if Egypt deployed its military in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula that borders Israel.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched Euromed in 2008 with the aim of establishing greater security and economic ties between Mediterranean countries. He has been lobbying for a preparatory meeting of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Paris ahead of the summit, scheduled for November 21 in Barcelona.