Barak to Chinese counterpart: Assad's lost his legitimacy

Defense minister discusses Iran, Syria and Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Beijing; says Israel must transfer more area to the PA.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Barak speech serious 311 (photo credit: REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool )
Barak speech serious 311
(photo credit: REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool )
Defense Minister Ehud Barak met his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie in Beijing on Tuesday, where they discussed issues such as Syria, Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the meeting Barak discussed the recent disturbances in Syria and claimed that Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost his legitimacy. He stated that Assad was responsible for thousands of deaths, and that if he was to stay in power he would be weak.  Additionally, Barak discussed the need to prevent Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons.
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Barak discussed his hopes for discussions between Israel and Palestinian Authority PM Salam Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, saying "I feel they are honest and I think that it's easier to solve such complicated issues when two sides are involved but Israel still controls the area. We must give them some of the area. This would be more effective when reached through a mutual agreement. This is what we are trying to show to the Americans, the Russians, [UN Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon and the Europeans."
Tuesday's meeting with Guanglie follows Barak's meeting on Sunday with Chinese Chief of General-Staff General Chen Bingde. The two discussed Israel and China's mutual interests and the bilateral ties between the IDF and the Chinese military, a Defense Ministry press release said.
Chen, describing the discussions, said his visit with Barak was greatly important for China as well as for relations between Israel and China.