Israel FM rules out peace deal with Palestinians

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said there is no chance for reaching a peace deal with Palestinians in the foreseeable future. Israel radio on Saturday quoted him as saying that he does not see any chance to reach a comprehensive peace agreement and the peace talks "are at a dead end." He was commenting on the optimism expressed yesterday by US Secretary of State John Kerry during his just-ended trip to the Middle East. Kerry who arrived in Israel on Thursday held three meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah later in the day. Before leaving Jerusalem for home last night, Kerry spoke about a progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations noting that lack of information about the talks did not mean they were not fruitful. In reference to Kerry's statements, Lieberman said: "There may be something dramatic that I do not know but my feeling is that there is great desire but I do not think it's possible. "It's not easy to bridge the gaps. We are not even close to a deal or even an interim one," he added.