Livni: Katsav should step down

"Unfortunately, and with very little connection to the criminal charges, I think it would be wrong for the president to continue serving. Since he has already announced he will step down if an indictment is filed, we can wait a few more days, but the situation is not healthy," Livni said.

Earlier Tuesday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert referred to the Katsav situation and said that the next president should be a national figure with no connection to a specific political party.

Former High Court President Aharon Barak has censured the "premature trial by media" of President Katsav and called the president Tuesday evening to express personal support.  

He stated that the president should have been present at recent ceremonies from which he absented himself, including the inauguration of the new High Court president, and noted Katsav's contributions to the legal system.   

On reforming government system

In her speech, Livni also addressed a number of issues including the expansion of the coalition and the proposals for changing the system of government in Israel. "I would be happy to see the coalition expand and stabilize. A government must push towards its objectives, and for that any coalition partner must fit to the basic lines of the government," she said.  

On the subject of changing the governing system, Livni reminded the crowd that even throughout their election campaign, Kadima championed the idea of reforming the system of government in Israel and said that "the country deserves a stable government with a minister who enters his office, learns the subject, and advances the processes the government wishes to push – that's our job."

Referring to the situation in Lebanon, Livni said that she was aware the Israeli people were still recovering from the war, but the situation in Lebanon was changing for the better.

"We have to look at what is happening there, the processes which are taking place, and the new rules of the game in Lebanon. The Lebanese army has moved south, there is no weapons transfer, and the Lebanese prime minister is the one pushing to change the situation. We must learn the lessons, but the political outcome is good for Israel," Livni said.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was absent from the ceremony because of an officialvisit to Russia, did not forget his supporters at home and called to congratulate them on the opening of the house and said that he hoped the Russian government would join the efforts to block the nuclear advancements of Iran.

"Today this might me the single most important mission for the security of Israel and to ensure its future existence," Olmert said.