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Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (R) during a previous meeting with his British counterpart, David Miliband.
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BRUSSELS (EJP)---Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is to meet Monday in Brussels with his British counterpart David Miliband to discuss a row over the use of UK passeports in the January killing of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, a senior figure of Hamas, in Dubai.
Miliband will be in the Belgian capital for a monthly gathering of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers.
An Israeli source stressed however that Lieberman's visit was not linked to the passport row, as 'it has been planned for weeks.'
On Thursday, Israel’s ambassador in London was called to discuss the matter at the Foreign office while Miliband demanded that Israel “fully cooperate” with the investigation.
Several other European countries, including France and Ireland, have also requested Israeli explanations.
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| The European Commission, the EU's executive body, declined Thursday to comment on the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. "It is a matter that at this stage does not concern the European Commission so we are making no comment on that. It is a matter between Israel and the British," Commission spokesman John Clancy told journalists. |
Avigdor Lieberman said this week that there is no reason to believe that Mossad was involved in the Dubai killing of the Hamas military commander.
"I think Britain recognises that Israel is a responsible country and that our security activity is conducted according to very clear, cautious and responsible rules of the game. Therefore we have no cause for concern,” he declared.
During his stay in Brussels, Lieberman will also meet with the foreign ministers of Romania, Belgium and Slovenia, as well as for the first time with Catherine Ashton, the new British head of the European Union foreign policy who replaced Javier Solana at the end of last year.
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| Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he places great importance on his Brussels meetings in light of the significant role and growing influence of the European Parliament and Europe in the international arena after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. |
On Tuesday, he is due to visit the European Parliament for meetings with the assembly’s president, Jerzy Buzek, and several MEPs, including Joseph Daul, chairman of the Christian Democrat European People's Party (EPP), the largest in the parliament, Michal Kaminski, chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and members of the European Friends of Israel (EFI).
During his talks, Lieberman is likely to call on the EU to take significant steps to prevent the continued attempts by Iran to achieve nuclear capability.
Iran is on the agenda of Monday’s meeting of the EU ministers.