Israeli PM intends to expand coalition government

Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday that he intended to expand the government's coalition base so as to strengthen the sense of political stability.

Olmert's remarks came amid wide spread report that right-wing party Yisrael Beiteinu was on its way to join Olmert's coalition government.

Olmert met Tuesday with activists of his centrist Kadima party. During the meeting, he said that a broadening of the coalition will occur in the near, immediate, future, and be based on the existing coalition agreements.

Meanwhile, as of the left-wing Labor party, Kadima's current major coalition partner facing the danger of being replaced by Yisrael Beiteinu, Olmert said he still considers the Labor a senior partner, but he also sees a possibility for integrating other elements.

The prime minister met in recent days with Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Leiberman, the two agreed to work together to create a constitution and make structural changes to the system of government.

Changing Israel's governmental system is one of the five preconditions set by Leiberman on joining Olmert's coalition government.

The agreement reached between Olmert and Lieberman is viewed as the first confidence-building measure between the two sides.

Figures close to Olmert said Saturday that Leiberman is an attractive coalition partner.

Senior Kadima officials suggested that Olmert wants to have a few coalition options firmly in hand before the Knesset (parliament) winter session begins, partly to fill the vacuum left by the removal of the West Bank pullout from his political agenda and to divert attention from the controversy over the war in Lebanon.

On the other hand, Leiberman said on Sunday that if he does decide to take his right-wing party into the government, negotiations over conditions would take less than two hours.

He said that his and Olmert's positions have moved closer since the prime minister abandoned his plan for unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank, and agreed to support his plan of changing the governmental system.

However, Israel's Vice Premier, senior Kadima member Shimon Peres said on Sunday he does not believe it is likely that Yisrael Beiteinu will join the government.

Peres explained that should the faction join the cabinet, lawmakers from the Labor party may bolt the government.

Labor has 19 MKs, while Yisrael Beiteinu has only 11, said Peres, adding such a move would cause a deficit of eight MKs in the coalition.

But Labor Party ministers seemed not to reject the entry of Lieberman's party into the governing coalition.

Being updated by Olmert after his meeting with Lieberman, Labor Chairman Peretz's associates responded, "It is Olmert's right to meet with whomever he wants."

"This step has no coalition practicability. Therefore, we are not dealing with it or flustered by it at all," added Peretz's associates.

In light of the impending budget vote and the fact that Labor MKs won't necessarily support the budget, Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon (Labor) said he understands Olmert's desire to expand his coalition.

Simhon said he would not reject bringing Lieberman into the government and adopting some of his proposed ideas on governmental changes.

Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) also said Lieberman could join the government if he accepts its basic platform.

Tourism Minister Issac Herzog (Labor) said Lieberman's entry into the government will not take place in the near future. Herzog said that Lieberman has an agenda matching Olmert's but noted their interests clash.

Source: Xinhua