Austrian Federal Chancellery (10/19/2009)

Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman met with Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger in Vienna on October 14, 2009. In addition to talks on bilateral issues and relations between Israel and the EU, the informal talks also focused on the Middle East conflict and nuclear conflict with Iran. (In November Austria began chairing the UN Security Council).

Minister Spindelegger called on Israel “to stop its policy of illegal settlement, also in East Jerusalem, and to dismantle its outposts” erected illegally on Palestinian territory since 2001.” Israel should also end the “humanitarian misery” in the Gaza Strip. Israel flatly rejected stopping its settlement activities. After the meeting the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that relations between Israel and Austria were “very good” despite differences in opinion.