Israel's Lieberman heads for Berlin

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will leave on Sunday for Berlin where he will meet senior officials and the head of the Jewish community in the German capital, his office said in a statement. Over the course of his two-day visit, Lieberman will be holding talks with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schauble and Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel. Lieberman's meetings are expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme, which Israel fears masks a weapons drive. Last week, Westerwelle vowed that the international community would block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and underscored Germany's steadfast support for Israel. Israel -- widely considered the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear power -- has consistently warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat to the Jewish state, and has refused to rule out a preemptive strike. The Israeli foreign minister will also meet the head of Berlin's Jewish community Gideon Joffe and speak at a Germany-Israel friendship event, the statement said, adding that Lieberman will return to Israel on Tuesday.