Coalition negotiations opened Sunday morning at the Kfar Maccabiah hotel in Ramat Gan with teams for the Kadima and Labor parties meeting for the first time.
Kadima, Labor teams around negotiating table (Photo: Eli Elgarat)
At the end of the meeting, chairman of Kadima's coalition negotiation team Attorney Yoram Turbovitch said that "the Kadima party considers Labor a major partner in the future government. The government's principles will be based on Acting Prime Minister Olmert's speech on election day."
Notably, the word "convergence" was not mentioned in the speech, a fact that would allow Kadima flexibility on negotiating diplomatic issues and promote the possibility of Shas and Israel Our Home joining the coalition.
Head of the Labor Party's negotiation team, Prof David Libai added however that "on this sensitive issue of the Palestinian problem, the phrasing of the basic principles shall not be too vague, in order that every party joining the coalition knows what it is facing."
Libai added that "in the meeting we reached a broad agreement on diplomatic and security matters and on issues of safeguarding democracy and the rule of the law."
The Labor's team insisted on the need to formulate a social justice policy in the limits of the approved budget, and the need to apply a policy that would see to the elimination or the reduction of poverty.
Both dies agreed that there was an urgent need for reform in the field of education.
According to Libai, "we are all for free economy, and everything will be done in the framework of the budget, but we can't be indifferent to the weak sectors' distress. This is why the minimum wage needs to be raised."
"We got the impression that Kadima was interested in the just distribution of the national wealth. We were asked to prepare data regarding our financial demands, because while it is easy to ask for funds, it's also our job to show where the money can come from," he added.
The two teams agreed to meet next week, in hope of completing negotiations then.
Shas, Likud meet with Kadima
Head of the Shas delegation to the talks, Attorney David Glas said after the meeting with Kadima's representatives, "I estimate that within 10 days we will be able to agree on joining the government."
According to Glas, the party's team was presented with Kadima's diplomatic plan in detail, and was also referred to Olmert's Election Day speech.
Glas said that the speech would be relayed to party Chairman Eli Yishai, who will present it to Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and he will decide on the matter.
Glas also stressed that Shas is aware of the tight schedule for forming the coalition, and that it would have an answer for Kadima soon. He added that Shas was interested in a stable government that would complete its term.
At about noon, Shas left the hotel and the Likud's delegation arrived at the place. At the beginning of the meeting with Kadima, Knesset Member Reuven Rivlin said that "it's hard to see where Kadima and the Likud meet. In light of Olmert's interviews to the foreign press, we will not be able to sit in a government that seeks to conduct a large-scale withdrawal that would jeopardize the state's security."
Former Education Minister Limor Livnat said that the Likud' teams did not humiliate itself by taking part in the negotiations, and that "we were just being polite."
Seeking broad coalition
Before entering the meeting Turbovitch said that "we are the long arm of Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. We have been instructed to conduct direct, fair and speedy negotiations, there won't be any fireworks."
Prof. Libai, said that "our working premise is that Labor will be a major partner in the next government. We'll make every effort to complete the talks quickly, and be able to influence the formulation and execution of policy."
Once the meeting with Labor is concluded, Kadima's team is set to meet with delegates of Shas, the Likud and Israel Our Home. Sources at Kadima and Labor estimated that disagreements will concentrate around social issues, due to their high budgetary cost.
A senior member in Kadima's negotiation team told Ynet: "We aim at forming as broad a coalition as possible, which would be able to complete its term, and be based on a clear agreement regarding Kadima's basic principles on the diplomatic process."
‘We specified our demands’
"The assembled coalition will allow the government to execute its political plans, as well as its socioeconomic policy. The party's political stances are clear, and we will make sure to elaborate them to out potential partners," he added.
Kadima's main partner in the coalition is set to be the Labor party, and members in Olmert's faction believe that the key to speedy negotiations is in Labor's hands. "Once we agree on the principles with Labor and distribute the portfolios, negotiations with the other parties will be carried out from a position of strength and enable us to seal an agreement quickly," a top Kadima official explained.
The Labor's Steering Committee on Thursday formulated the party's central demands on socioeconomic issues, to be presented in the talks with Kadima. Labor is set to stipulate conditions pertaining to raising the minimum wage, the Pension Law, and the 'Medicine Basket.'
"We drafted a document specifying all our demands, with which we shall go to negotiations with Kadima," faction chairman Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh said.
First published: 10:33, 04.09.6