MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Top Israeli official Latinamerican tour: trade and “Iran influence” in the agenda

Israel's controversial Foreign Affairs minister Avigdor Lieberman

Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman left on Monday on a ten day trip to Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Argentina to increase trade and strengthen ties with several countries as well as stemming growing Iranian influence in the region, said Deputy minister Danny Avalon.

The trip will tackle a series of diplomatic issues ranging from economic cooperation to the Iranian nuclear threat. In Brazil, which is Israel's major commercial partner in the region, the first visit of an Israeli president slated for November will be discussed, as well as the Brazilian interest in engaging in the Middle East peace process.

“I attribute great importance to these countries” Lieberman said before departing, adding that it was even more important now to strengthen ties with African and Latin American countries in light of Iran's growing influence in those regions. “We shouldn't invest only in the US and Europe. The fight against Iran's nuclearization should be expanded.”

Joining Lieberman on the trip is a group of Israeli businessmen in the fields of technology, communications and agriculture. Lieberman also has scheduled meetings with Jewish officials and communicates in the countries.

More specifically in Argentina, Lieberman is slated to attend a memorial marking the 15th anniversary of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured 200. That attack came two years after a bomb flattened the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and killed 29 people.

Argentine officials claim Iran orchestrated the attack and that Hezbollah

agents carried it out. The US and Israel also say Iran is behind the bombing. Iran has denied involvement.

Minister Ayalon said Israel is particularly interested in discussing “Iranian infiltration” and the close ties Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales have built with Tehran.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said in its latest global terrorism report that lax controls in the border region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay provide a safe haven to Islamic extremists and Hezbollah in particular.

A top US military commander also said earlier this year that Hezbollah has been active in the drug trade across the Colombian border.

“We have been seeing in Colombia a direct connection between Hezbollah activity and narco-trafficking activity,” said Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who oversees US military interests in the region as head of US Southern Command.

Colombia said last October that it had smashed a drug and money-laundering ring suspected of shipping funds to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has denied links to drugs and money-laundering and described allegations as part of a propaganda campaign aimed at harming its image.

Mr. Lieberman is also Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and founder and leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, whose electoral base are the immigrants from the former Soviet Union. He is described as a polarizing figure within Israeli politics and has been quoted saying ”I've always been controversial because I offer new ideas. For me to be controversial, I think this is positive”.

Lieberman has called to redraw the border between Israel and the West Bank so that Israel would include large Jewish settlement blocs and the Palestinian state would include large Arab-Israeli population centers. He believes that Israel's citizens should sign a loyalty oath or lose their right to vote.

Lieberman’s attitude is also seen as helping to expose differences between Israel and its main ally and supporter United States.

In effect since the new Israel coalition took office relations with the US administration of President Barrack Obama have not been as fluid as in the past, particularly regarding settlements in occupied territories and the peace process.