Nov. 3, 2002 Netanyahu to accept Foreign Affairs portfolio if early elections called By THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's offer to receive the Foreign Affairs portfolio in Sharon's new, narrow government, media reports said. However, the reports said, Netanyahu said his taking the portfolio would hinge upon the government announcing it was going to early elections. Following a two-hour meeting at Sharon's Jerusalem residence Sunday afternoon, the second such meeting since the Labor Party's withdrawal from the national union government, Netanyahu was quoted as being steadfast in his opinion that only early elections could result in an effective recovery of the Israeli economy. Netanyahu was also quoted as offering that he and Sharon make a public announcement that the two would continue to cooperate even after one of them is elected as party leader in the Likud's upcoming primaries, reports said. In the two's previous meeting, at Sharon's Negev ranch on Friday, Netanyahu told Sharon that he would be willing to accept his offer to join the government if Sharon would agree to adopt Netanyahu's economic program and build a coalition that can support it. Netanyahu asked Sharon to respond to his request by Sunday to implement a 180-degree shift in the government's economic policies. Sources close to Sharon said the prime minister may be willing to call Netanyahu's bluff and agree to his request. After Netanyahu asked Sharon repeated questions about the economy, Sharon offered him the Finance portfolio and said he could shift Silvan Shalom to the Foreign Ministry. Sharon has employed former finance minister Ya'akov Ne'eman, who failed to bridge the gaps between Sharon and Labor Party chairman Binyamin Ben-Eliezer last week, to mediate between him and Netanyahu, The Jerusalem Post previously reported. Ne'eman had called Netanyahu on Saturday night in an effort to convince him to join the government. Following the conversation, Ne'eman called Communications Minister Reuven Rivlin and asked him whether Sharon is serious about wanting Netanyahu in his cabinet. Rivlin, who convinced Sharon last week to invite Netanyahu to join the government, said the prime minister's offer is sincere. Netanyahu had been taken aback by the manner in which Sharon made the offer. Press reports on Thursday said Rivlin was trying to convince Sharon to offer the Foreign Ministry to Netanyahu, but Sharon was unwilling. Netanyahu first heard that Sharon would be inviting him for a meeting from the press. In the meeting on Friday, Netanyahu said Sharon needed to stimulate the economy by lowering taxes and privatizing government companies. He advised him to seek a wider coalition that could implement such serious economic reforms. While sources close to Netanyahu had said his decision whether to join the government would focus on economic issues, they had noted that accepting a portfolio would make it difficult for Netanyahu to criticize Sharon ahead of internal Likud leadership elections. Netanyahu has fiercely attacked Sharon for not expelling Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and toppling the PA. He has repeatedly called upon him to reject the possibility of forming a Palestinian state. The former prime minister declined to run for the post again after Ehud Barak's government fell, saying he felt the composition of the Knesset was unworkable. Netanyahu has not changed his mind and believes new elections should be held rather than forming a narrow government. "Forming a narrow government will weaken the Likud, especially now with a more vocal opposition," an official close to Netanyahu said. The official said Netanyahu is unwilling to sacrifice his ideology by defending polices he opposes, unlike former foreign minister Shimon Peres. "It would harm his image if he abandons his principles," the official said. "You can call it pride, but principles pay off. It's not a matter of pride, it's a matter of credibility." Sharon's bureau chief Dov Weisglass said Sharon invited Netanyahu to become foreign minister because he respects Netanyahu's ability to defend Israel abroad. "At this difficult time for the state of Israel, during which Mr. Netanyahu's communication skills could contribute enormously to Israel's information campaign in the world, he was offered the post pure-heartedly," Weisglass told Army Radio. National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu leaders met Sunday with Sharon's Cabinet Secretary Gideon Sa'ar to discuss joining the government. "We're not setting up a new government, the talks are about broadening it," said Sa'ar. He also said there was no deadline for bringing additional parties into the government. A National Union spokesman said the party has not made up its mind about whether to join the government and is eager to hear what Sharon has to offer. The faction requested changes in the coalition's guidelines, including declaring the Oslo Accords dead and opposing the formation of a Palestinian state. Faction officials said they are unlikely to demand that the government reject US President George W. Bush's "road map," because they understand the importance of maintaining Sharon's ties with Bush. "We want a significant change in the policies of the government," said Yuri Stern, a National Union lawmaker who was taking part in the talks. A Dahaf Institute poll published over the weekend predicted that the National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction would rise from seven to 11 MKs in the next Knesset. Sharon's associates are concerned that the faction would decline to join the government in hopes of improving its position after elections. Rivlin, Sharon's closest ally in the cabinet, spoke to National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman over the weekend and warned him not to repeat the mistakes of right-wing parties that have brought down Likud-led governments. "Lieberman has ambitions to be the leader of the Right," Rivlin said. "I told him that bringing down right-wing governments has led to Oslo and Camp David, and that he shouldn't make the same mistake again." Likud ministers Limor Livnat and Uzi Landau both called on Sharon over the weekend not to form a narrow government and to instead initiate early elections. (With Gil Hoffman and The Associated Press |
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