Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak sought to calm fears of an impending new Middle East war, telling a radio interviewer Monday that Israel had no intentions of starting a fresh round of fighting.
Speaking on army radio as Israel observed a day of remembrance for its war dead and victims of militant attacks, Barak was asked to respond to comments last week by Jordan's King Abdullah II, in which the monarch warned there was a high risk of conflict if Israeli-Palestinian peace talks remained stalled.
"I believe and think that there is no reason for war to break out," Barak said. "Certainly we have no intention of starting something like that, and I hope there will be no deterioration from other directions."
In an April 15 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Abdullah was quoted as saying that, "If we hit the summer and there's no active (peace) process, there's a very good chance for conflict."
Barak said he did not interpret Abdullah's words as a threat.
"Obviously he doesn't mean that Jordan will start it. It's a very important peace-loving country," he said.
Jordan became the second Arab state after Egypt to conclude a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
