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Photo: Yaron Brenner
Yuli Tamir - next education minister?
Photo: Yaron Brenner

Peretz: No compromise on Education

Coalition negotiations: Labor party adamant about being granted Education portfolio, designates Yuli Tamir as next education minister; Kadima's Uriel Reichman: Sharon's promise to give me portfolio will be kept

Nine days after the elections, President Moshe Katsav is set to task Kadima leader and Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with forming the next government.

 

On Thursday, Olmert is scheduled to meet with Katsav in Jerusalem and be officially designated as the next prime minister, paving the way for coalition talks to start in earnest.

 

At this time it appears the Labor party, set to become the senior coalition partner, will give up on its hope to receive the Finance Ministry and instead take over the Defense Ministry. However, the true battle appears to be centered over the identity of the next education minister.

 

On the one hand, ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised the portfolio to Kadima's Uriel Reichman, who in the past said that should he not be granted the portfolio he would quit and return to his former post as president of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. Meanwhile, Labor leader Amir Peretz promised the portfolio to his own party member, Yuli Tamir.

 

On Wednesday, Reichman sounded confident that "Sharon's legacy" will be kept and he will end up at the Education Ministry.

 

"I have no doubt the Education portfolio will remain in Kadima's hands and I'll be the next education minister," Reichman told Ynet. "It's a promise from Arik Sharon.

 

However, Labor officials seem to be thinking otherwise.

 

"The Education Ministry will be in our hands during the next term, and Yuli Tamir is the next education minister," senior Labor sources closely associated to Amir Peretz told Ynet. Peretz himself said in closed session that he has no intention to compromise on the matter.

 

"Throughout the campaign we committed to getting the Education portfolio and we have no intention to give up now," Labor sources added.

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.06.06, 08:00
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