Israeli FM: Syria needs to cut ties with armed groups, Iran before peace deal

Israel's foreign minister on Thursday called on Syria to cut its ties with armed groups if it wants to reach peace with Israel.

Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Damascus must stop supporting groups like Hamas and Hizbullah. She also called Syria to cut its ties with Iran. "The Syrians also need to understand that... they must distance themselves completely from their ... problematic ties with Iran," she said before the start of a meeting with visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

"Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbours but Syria also needs to understand that it needs also full renunciation of supporting terror -- Hezbollah, Hamas and of course Iran," Livni conveyed.