Ugee

Israel's Livni to form new coalition

Jerusalem - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni wasted no time on Sunday working to put together a new government, meeting with potential coalition partners even as outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert formally handed in his resignation.  Her ability to move fast in her first task could have far-reaching effects on peace talks with the Palestinians. Livni, who has gained respect for favouring peace deals with the Palestinians and Syria while distancing herself from the unpopular Olmert, would become Israel's second female prime minister after Golda Meir, who served from 1969-1974. Livni met leaders from the pivotal Shas Party Thursday, hours after she won a primary election to succeed Olmert as head of their Kadima Party. Over the weekend, she sat with leaders of several other factions, and later on Sunday, she scheduled a meeting with Defence Minister Ehud Barak, head of the Labour Party, Olmert's main partner. Olmert told his Cabinet on Sunday morning that he would resign and followed that with a visit to the official Jerusalem residence of President Shimon Peres - both formalities in a process that began in late July. Support for Livni That's when Olmert caved under the pressure of multiple corruption probes and announced he would step down after the Kadima primary election. "This decision was not easy, it was not simple, and it was not taken in an offhanded way," Olmert said before the start of the Sunday Cabinet meeting. He pledged to help Livni, a longtime rival, form a new government. At stake is political stability in Israel as the clock winds down on a January target date for a peace accord with the Palestinians, set by Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a US-sponsored peace conference last November. Livni favours pursuing the negotiations and making concessions to forge a peace agreement, but if she fails to form a coalition, elections would be called, and Israel might not have a new government until next spring. That could freeze peace efforts for months. Livni won the Kadima primary by a small margin over hawkish former Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, who announced he would not serve in her government.

 

< Prev		Next >