Lieberman vows commitment to Saudis

In Saudi Arabia on a 10-day tour of the Middle East, likely presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., assured the kingdom’s leaders that in spite of a “difficult year for Saudi-U.S. relations” he personally remains “committed to this relationship.”

Lieberman said in an interview with Saudi-based Arab News published yesterday that he had a “very productive and enjoyable meeting with both King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah” in which he told the prince he wanted to find a way to “restate” his Middle East peace plan, which was rejected earlier this year by Arab leaders.

Lieberman described the peace initiative as a “missed opportunity.”

Along with his message of “reassurance” to the Saudi leaders, the senator said he wanted to convey that “while there have been expressions of anger and distrust from the American side, these should be seen as disagreements among family and friends.”

In view of the way bilateral relations have taken on a special significance after Sept. 11, Arab News said, Lieberman drew attention to the fear that “there is a small group of Islamic extremists” who, if given their way, would begin “a civilizational struggle” between Islam and the rest of the world.

“In that sense, I see this conflict not just as al-Qaida against everyone else, but as a civil war within the Muslim world between a minority who are extreme and a majority that is ethical, moderate and non-violent,” the senator said.

“It’s important to the Muslim world that the mainstream majority emerges victorious,” he continued, “and that’s why Saudi Arabia – with its place at the center of the Muslim world – has such a critical role to play.”

Double standard?

Arab News asked Lieberman if he thought there was a double standard in his vote for a U.S. war tribunal to try Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as a war criminal while the U.S. successfully fought for an exemption from the newly created International Criminal Court, or ICC.

Lieberman said he thought there was.

“I disagree with the current administration’s policy on this question,” he said. “The U.S. was, in fact, over the years a moving party in establishing the ICC. It was very disappointing to me in the end that we refused to join it. I hope that we can come back to it because American foreign policy works best when we are true to our national ideals.”

Noting that Lieberman favors a Palestinian state, Arab News said the senator agreed that there “ought to be more” humanitarian aid given to the Palestinian people than is now allocated by the U.S.

“The human conditions are not acceptable,” Lieberman said. “But I still feel optimistic that a peace agreement can be achieved by the Israelis and the Palestinians. I do think that if the gridlock that exists between the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples is ended then there is potential for them to be an example of how people of different faiths and nationalities can live together peacefully.”

Pressed on Israel’s defiance of more than 60 U.N. resolutions, Lieberman accepted that “Israel should be no more immune from international law than any other nation,” Arab News said.

“But Israel is not a danger to its people and its neighbors in a way that Iraq under Saddam is,” he added. “Obviously, from an American point of view, we feel over the years that the U.N. has been slanted against Israel and doesn’t give Israel a fair deal.”

On the domestic front, Lieberman said he was “proud” of his relationship with the Arab-American community, the Saudi publication said.

“Right now we are faced with trying to balance liberty with security, but we can’t allow our reaction to the terrorist attacks to induce us to compromise our own values,” said Lieberman. “I think we should constantly review the laws that have been adopted post Sept. 11 to make sure that we are not compromising the liberties of any American.”

Lieberman said he hoped to become the first-ever Jewish president of the United States, but insisted “this does not mean that if a Jewish American runs for office that person will automatically be elected.”

“Such a candidate will be judged on his merits and not on his faith,” he maintained. “This is based on the real experience that I had as a vice-presidential candidate in 2000, when I felt that I was greeted not just with tolerance but acceptance as a fellow American.”