JERUSALEM. Nov 3 (Interfax) - Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has urged the Quartet on the Middle East, comprised of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the UN, to leave the region and leave Palestine and Israel alone.
"The best option for the dispute with Palestine would be for the Quartet to forget that we exist," Lieberman said in Jerusalem on Wednesday in answer to a question from Interfax.
"If all, including the U.S., Russia, Europe and the UN, got out, mildly speaking, we would come to terms a lot more quickly," he said.
"The chance that the Quartet will settle anything here is nil, so no illusions should be cherished," Lieberman said.
"Concerning the political settlement [of the Palestine-Israel conflict,] it won't be achieved in the coming generations," he said. "The conflict is emotional, not rational," Lieberman said.
"We must learn to carry on without a final settlement. Generally, a final settlement is garbage and it can never be achieved," Lieberman said.
"The best alternative is to cooperate with Palestine in economic affairs and security, and leave the political settlement issue to future generations," he said.
Most conflicts remain unsettled in the world, he added.
"Even if we take Russia's dispute with Japan over the Kuril Islands, no settlement is likely. But no one fears that a new Russian-Japanese war will spark up," he said.
It is unfeasible to forge agreement with Palestine in direct talks lasting a year, he said. "It is not realistic, I am convinced. It's just one more illusion," Lieberman said.
Asked what international mediators could do, he said, "Let them tackle the problems of Iraq, Ossetia, Transdniestria."
On whether Israel will impose a new moratorium on settlement activities, Lieberman said, "Even if it does, what will happen? A moratorium for another two months, three months?"