Following a call by a Hezbollah-allied Lebanese parliamentarian to hold peace talks with Israel, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday said it was clear that the war with Hezbollah had left an impact.

The foreign minister added that if peace negotiations were realized between the two countries, it would constitute a majory victory for Israel.

"If the results of the war [with Lebanon] would lead to diplomatic negotiations with Lebanon, it would secure a major strategic achievement [for Israel]," she said.

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Calling for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Arab states, Lebanese Lawmaker Nabil Berri was quoted as saying Thursday "now is the time to raise the issue to returning to peace negotiations [with Israel]."

Speaking to Kadima party members in Dimona, Livni said Berri's statement is "the best proof that the war has changed the rules of conduct in Lebanon, and now different voices are heard."

"It is possible that now is a very appropriate time for peace talks," Berri told al-Arabiya newspaper while visiting in Paris.

Berri's comments were also published Thursday morning in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily.

This is the first time that Berri has issued public calls for peace talks with Israel.

Livni also commented on the Iranian threat, saying "it is feared that the alliance between North Korea and Iran would cause a chain reaction, which would ultimately bring to the delivery of information, technology and arms not only to other countries in our region, but also to terror organizations."

"Israel considers it a major goal to warn the international community of this and demand immediate action to halt the process in order to curb global threats."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in response to Berri's statement "I would be happy to meet with [Prime Minister Fuad] Siniora or any other Lebanese government official who is authorized to talk peace with Israel."

"Every time an Arab leader talks about peace, we must listen to him. In this case, we're talking about an interesting remark," he added.

Surprising move
The move is particularly surprising given his close ties with Hezbollah. Berri leads the Amal movement, which competes with Hezbollah for the support of Lebanon's Shi'ite population.

Over the past several years, Berri has cultivated an alliance with Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. Their ties were strengthened during the course of the recent war in Lebanon.

Because his organization was not involved in combat against Israel and he faced no restrictions on his freedom of movement, Berri has evolved into a mediator between Hezbollah and outside parties.

He visited Saudi Arabia some two weeks ago where he met with King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.

Berri said peace talks with Israel should be based on the Saudi peace plan initiated by King Abdullah in 2002. The plan calls for an Israeli withdrawal to June 4, 1967 lines, the creation of a Palestinian state and a solution to the refugee problem.

In exchange, all the Arab states would recognize and establish normalized relations with Israel.

According to Berri, he told King Abdullah two weeks ago that the Arab world must unite in order to hold peace talks with Israel.

Senior cabinet minister Meir Sheetrit on Wednesday also expressed his support for Israel-Arab peace talks based on the Saudi plan.

Western-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has rejected repeated calls by Olmert to talk peace since the war, the last of which came on Monday. "Lebanon will be the last Arab country to sign peace with Israel," Siniora has said.