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TechnoratiBarak scraps Paris trip
The Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has left on a five-day trip to the United States after cancelling a planned visit to Paris on Tuesday.He had been due to meet French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who suggested on Sunday that a Palestinian state could be recognised even without negotiation with Israel were negotiated.
A spokesperson for Barak said he had called off the visit because of scheduling problems.
After opting out of the trip to France, Barak is now travelling to the United States for talks about Iran’s nuclear programme and the Middle East process.
He is set to meet US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell.
He will also meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York, according to the Israeli Defence Ministry.
Israel views Iran’s nuclear weapons programme as its biggest strategic threat. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his call for Iran to be placed under an oil embargo.
