Syrian envoy to U.S. says he prefers Lieberman over Livni

The Syrian ambassador to Washington told CNN on Sunday that the election of Barack Obama gave him reason to be optimistic that Israel and Syria could clinch a peace deal, and that he was not deterred by the prospects of working with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman."Personally I believe it is better to deal with someone like Lieberman than it is to do deal with someone like [former foreign minister Tzipi] Livni," Imad Moustapha told CNN on Sunday. "At least Lieberman is candid. He exactly says what he believes in. Tzipi Livni and her colleagues were talking all the time about their desire to make peace while committing the atrocity in Gaza or doing other similar things in the Palestinian territories." Moustapha said the U.S. has "a moral obligation to sponsor peace talks between the Arabs and the Israelis [because it is] U.S. support for Israel that has enabled [Jerusalem] to sustain policies of occupation" and that Washington must apply pressure on its ally to change course.
"Israel will be very careful not to say no to the U.S. administration and the U.S. president," Moustapha said. "This is a historical moment. Here is a president that has said in a vigorous way that the U.S. is making peace in the region."Moustapha also praised Obama's envoy in the region, former senator George Mitchell, as "a person known for his integrity, fairness, and his capability to deliver.""We are a little bit more on the optimistic side right now, but we need to be careful and realistic," the Syrian ambassador said.Moustapha warned that Mitchell will be more limited in peacemaking efforts between Arabs and Israelis than he was in brokering the Good Friday accords in Northern Ireland due to the "omnipotent power of the pro-Israel interest groups in Washington."