Liberman panel with Iranian, Saudi FM at security conference cancelled – Jerusalem Post Israel News

Avigdor Liberman speaks at the Saban Forum. (photo credit:SABAN FORUM)

After a schedule released Friday showed Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman sharing the stage with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Sunday morning at the Munich International Security Conference, organizers have hurriedly rearranged.

The two leaders from enemy states were set to take part in a session entitled Old crises, new Middle East along with Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The presentation was announced Friday despite the fact that Israel currently does not have diplomatic relations with Iran or Saudi Arabia. While Israel's connection with Iran is a hostile one, Israel has an informal connection with Saudi Arabia due to their shared interests on the issue of threat posed by Iran.

Now, instead of having the four speakers together for a single session, with the BBCs Lyse Doucet moderating, organizers have cancelled the session and replaced it with four separate statements by the leaders.

Zarif is now set to speak at 9 am, with a panel on US policy following at 9.20am and Liberman speaking at 10.05 am with Cavusoglu and Jubeir after.

Speaking to Channel 2 news from Munich on Friday, Liberman said he had been looking forward to the panel, hoping to say exactly "what I think about the Ayatollah's [supreme leader] regime in Tehran."

"I hope he will be in the hall when I'm speaking and hear what I think about the ayatollah's regime in Tehran, and everything I said to the other defense ministers whom I met - the greatest danger to the stability of the entire Middle East is Iran."

During the conference Liberman is also set to meet with British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon,

German Defense Minister Dr.Ursula von der Leyen, Canadas Minister of Defense Harjit Sajjan, and Singapores Defense Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen. Liberman will also meet the foreign ministers of Russia Sergei Lavrov and Moldovas Andrei Galbur, as well as President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer Lorenz, and the President of Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson.

According to a statement put out by his office, Liberman will discuss strengthening security cooperation between Israel and those countries as well as jointly dealing with the threat of regional terrorism.

Radical Islamic terrorism has long been not just a regional problem faced by countries in the Middle East, but a global problem that affects different countries, almost indiscriminately, as part of an insane fanatical campaign against the free world, the statement quoted Liberman as saying, adding that one of the most important factors in dealing with this threat is cooperating across borders and continents, between all governments and relevant security agencies.

On Friday morning Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met with his American counterpart Gen.James Mattis in Munich for the first time since Mattis assumed his position as Secretary of Defense.

During the meeting, the two discussed several matters, with Iran first and foremost among them. A statement released by Libermans office said that the three central problems facing the two countries and that must be dealt with were "Iran, Iran and Iran."

Lieberman stated that there is a need to build a genuine and effective coalition to deal with the terrorism that Tehran was spreading throughout the world, including the development of ballistic missiles and its continued attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

Israels Defense Minister also stated that North Korea and Iran are two ends of the axis of evil that also includes Hezbollah and the Assad regime and Iran is the common thread.

Mattis and Liberman agreed that they must act decisively against Iran, a statement put out by Libermans office read.

During their meeting, the two also discussed other security issues related to developments in the Middle East and ways to strengthen cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem in dealing with them.

The two concluded the meeting stating that the two countries are true allies and that they will continue to work together to maintain common interests of the two countries and agreed to meet again soon.

Liberman and Mattis have previously spoken only by phone.

The Munich Security Conference is held every year and hosts heads of state, foreign ministers, and defense ministers from around the globe. Over 30 heads of state of government and 80 foreign and defense ministers along with other officials are expected to attend the conference which opened on Friday.

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