Lieberman fails to reassure Ireland in passport killing row

(BRUSSELS) - Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said on Monday that Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman gave no "assurances" that Israel was innocent of the assassination of a Hamas chief by killers using fake European passports.

"He did not deny," Martin told reporters after meeting Lieberman in Brussels when he pressed the Israeli minister to guarantee that the Jewish state had no involvement in the killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai in January.

"In fairness, I don't want that to be construed one way or the other... He said he had checked it out and could find no information about any alleged involvement."

Martin said he expressed Ireland's "grave concern about the fraudulent use of passport material," with five Irish passports -- up from the original three -- so far known to have been misused in carrying out the assassination.

He said he told Lieberman that the security of Irish citizens had been placed at risk and that the theft, in this case of valid passport numbers, even if not names or photographs or credit cards, "violates the integrity of our passport system."

Martin underlined: "We did seek assurances or clarifications... (but) he indicated strongly that he had no information whatsoever, and couldn't provide any additional information in relation to what happened in Dubai."

Martin said investigations were ongoing, stressing that "we would appreciate assurances, we were requesting assurances there was no such involvement."

EU foreign ministers meeting issued a statement on Monday strongly condemning the killing of Mahbuh and the fraudulent use of passports, but without naming Israel.

Mabhuh, a founder of the armed wing of the radical Palestinian movement opposed to Israel, was found dead in his hotel room in Dubai on January 20.

Dubai police have released the names and photos of suspects who entered the United Arab Emirates on passports from Britain Ireland, Germany and one from France.

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan of Dubai police said last week he was "99 percent, if not 100 percent" sure Israel's Mossad intelligence service was behind the murder.