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Last update - 21:30 26/10/2009
Egypt boycott of Lieberman pushes off Med Union summit
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Med Union, France 

France on Monday postponed the start of a foreign ministers meeting for member states of the Union for the Mediterranean due to Egypt's refusal to participate in protest of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's planned attendance.

The summit was originally scheduled to take place next week in Istanbul.

In recent days, Paris has exerted pressure on Cairo to relent and agree to take part in the summit. Yet the Egyptians have thus far refused.
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Earlier this month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner that Egypt would not attend the session if Lieberman is present.

One possible solution to the impasse is to upgrade the summit by inviting prime ministers to take part. Yet the idea has yet to gain traction.

A summit hosting prime ministers is likely to satisfy the Egyptians since Cairo maintains a working relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lieberman sparked outrage in Egypt last year when as a legislator in the opposition, he criticized its president, Hosni Mubarak, in a speech before the Knesset, saying that the Egyptian leader could "go to hell."

Lieberman was critical of Mubarak's refusal to make an official state visit to Israel. The Egyptian leader's sole trip to his country's neighbor to the east was for the 1995 funeral of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

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      1.   you don`t have to love and admire the Egyptian government... 18:27  |  Murray 26/10/09
      2.   not just Egypt and Lieberman 18:40  |  Michael 26/10/09
      3.   Why pressure Egypt? 19:06  |  Daniel 26/10/09
      4.   To #2 - Daniel 20:15  |  Col [Res] Cohen 26/10/09
      5.   Notice 20:49  |  Gee 26/10/09
      6.   Col [Res] Cohen 20:57  |  Walid 26/10/09
      7.   The insecure Arabs always want to demonstrate 21:05  |  Frank 26/10/09
      8.   no way #4 21:05  |  elsie 26/10/09
      9.   answer to #4 21:19  |  Paul 26/10/09
      10.   Lieberman`s comments were not only approrpriate, but timely 21:24  |  Jacob Blues 26/10/09
      11.   Let`s remember as well, this is the same Egypt who`s highest 21:25  |  Jacob Blues 26/10/09
      12.   Paris summit 21:31  |  Nour 26/10/09
      13.   has lieberman killed anyone? 22:14  |  vik 26/10/09
      14.   Egypt Blacklists Lieberman? It seems that the FM is in good 23:38  |  Jacob Blues 26/10/09
      15.   We will see how loyal Biby is - Respect Liberman is mandatory 01:42  |  Alfred 27/10/09
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