Lieberman likely to meet Clinton for first time since 2010

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton next week in Washington, almost two years since their last meeting in 2010. Lieberman’s first visit to the U.S. capital, one year before that, took place shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led government was sworn in, following the general elections in 2009.

Lieberman’s office released a statement Thursday saying that the details and schedule for the visit have not been finalized and would only be disclosed shortly before his departure.

Clinton and Lieberman held their most recent meeting on Sept. 15, 2010, in Israel, amid U.S. efforts to bring Israel and the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table, just more than a month before Israel’s self-imposed moratorium on settlement construction was to expire. Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu faction, along with other coalition elements and settler groups, made it clear they would not support an additional moratorium, and negotiations broke down soon after.

Last month, representatives from both sides began a series of meetings in Jordan under the auspices of Quartet representative Tony Blair – the first official talks in more than a year.

According to reports, the State Department initially told Israeli officials that Clinton would be out of town during Lieberman’s visit, but a meeting between the two was scheduled following a recent change in her timetable.

Lieberman’s spokesman Tzachi Moshe told AFP that Lieberman would leave for Washington on Monday and return on Friday, and said details of the visit would be announced before his departure. He added that Lieberman “will be holding meetings with senior officials in the Senate, Congress and Jewish organizations.”

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