Avigdor Lieberman
© unknownAvigdor Lieberman
Israel would be prepared to take more risks for peace if the threat from a nuclear Iran was dealt with first, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday.

'The main problem at present, in the Middle East, in the world, is the problem of Iran,' he said as he met visiting EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton in Jerusalem.

'First try solve the Iranian problem, then our readiness to take risks and solve the Palestinian problem will be higher,' he said.

Israel regards Iran as its biggest existential threat, because of its nuclear programme and repeated statements by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be wiped form the map.

Israeli officials also accuse Tehran of supporting, with weapons and money, Palestinian and Islamic groups, such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which reject any accommodation with Israel.

In addition to Lieberman, Ashton will during her visit also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Palestinian officials.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur