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Sarkozy under fire over remarks on Israel FM

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-30 23:17

JERUSALEM: Allies of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Tuesday fired back at French President Nicolas Sarkozy amid reports that the latter urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remove the top Israeli diplomat.

Local TV Channel Two on Monday reported that during Netanyahu's visit to Paris last week, his host called on him to "get rid of" Lieberman, a firebrand figure who triggered great controversy due to his ultranationalist tendency, and to bring current opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni back into the ruling coalition.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech during a meeting after a visit to the construction site of "Tower First", which is part of the Grand Paris project, in the business district near Paris June 30, 2009. [Agencies]

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"If the words attributed to the president of France are correct, the interference of a president of a respected democratic state in the matters of another democratic state is a grave and intolerable thing," local daily Ha'aretz quoted Lieberman's office as saying in response

"We expect that regardless of political stance, every political body in Israel will condemn this callous attack by a foreign state in our domestic affairs," Ha'aretz said.

Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, a senior member of Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu party, told Army Radio that "It is hard to believe that the leader of a friendly country would express himself in such a way," adding that Netanyahu should have "banged on the table" when Sarkozy attacked Lieberman.

For his part, Netanyahu stressed that he had "every confidence" in Lieberman. Local news service Ynet quoted him as saying that " Lieberman is committed to Israel's security and peace and is an important part of the government."