WASHINGTON - Shimon Peres, Kadima's
number two candidate, has told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice his party represents the first true centrist party in Israel since the days of his mentor, Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.
"Since Ben-Gurion many parties in Israel have drifted to the radical right-wing and left-wing fringes. There are radical religious parties and radical anti-religious parties," Peres told reporters following his meeting with Rice. "Now, these forces have concentrated in a positive center that is capable of making decisions about Israel's real future."
Peres also said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told him he did not view the Gaza disengagement as the end of the story, but rather as the beginning of a peace strategy.
"He really wanted to make every effort to put an end to the conflict," said Peres.
Bright future for Kadima
He also said he was confident about the future of the Kadima Party, even without Prime Minister Sharon, and added that negotiations with the Palestinians would resume immediately following elections.
Later, speaking in Houston, Texas, Peres spoke at length about the candidacy of Ehud Olmert, and said that while Olmert was stilling living in Sharon's shadow, he would make a "very good prime minister."
Speaking to a group of AIPAC leaders, Peres said, "It is true that Olmert does not enjoy the same admiration as Ariel Sharon, but there is no reason to back away from supporting him.
"It's not just a personal issue, it's a policy issue. I and my colleagues will do all we can to help him succeed," he said.
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