Lieberman named to U.S.-Israeli gov't post

JERUSALEM, May 10 (UPI) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will be in charge of the country's strategic dialogue with the United States, the Cabinet said Sunday.

The appointment means Lieberman will become Israel's point person on the 10-year-old strategic dialogue effort, which serves as a multi-agency, high-level framework for discussions of U.S.-Israeli strategic concerns, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The move was expected, and unnamed government sources told the Post that it was only logical the country's foreign minister would get the job. Lieberman takes over the post from former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's choice Shaul Mofaz.

The dialogue in recent times has been dominated by discussions of the threat posed to Israel by Iran, the Post said.