Israeli foreign minister sees peace talks at "dead end"

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's far-right foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said on Tuesday that Western-backed peace efforts with the Palestinians had reached a "dead end" and Israel intended to present new ideas for diplomacy.

"There is definitely a regression here and we must understand and admit that we are at a dead end," Lieberman said in a speech to members of his Yisrael Beiteinu party. "We definitely intend to present new ideas."

Lieberman's party is the second largest partner in the right-wing coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which was sworn in last week.

The new foreign minister also said he did not "see the logic" in continuing negotiations over Palestinian statehood launched by the previous government of centrist Ehud Olmert.

Lieberman has said Israel would honor a U.S.-backed road map for peace with the Palestinians, but suggested that final status talks should begin only once other conditions of the peace plan were met, such as Palestinians dismantling militant groups.

The plan also calls on Israel to halt all Jewish settlement building in occupied territory.

"I don't understand the logic ... to skip directly to negotiations over a final agreement, to give up all our demands of the other side," Lieberman said.

(Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Charles Dick)

Terra/Reuters