Olmert at faction meeting, Wednesday
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Partnership with Barak to continue, says Olmert
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert congratulates Ehud Barak on Labor Primaries' victory; plans to continue coalition partnership
"I congratulate Ehud Barak and wish him luck in his role and in fulfilling the important objectives he's defined for himself," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday, in a first reference to Ehud Barak's victory in the Labor primaries Tuesday.
Speaking during a Kadima faction meeting at the Knesset, Olmert said that he respected the "responsible manner" in which the Labor elections were carried out. "Naturally, we plan to continue our coalition partnership with the Labor Party after the election of the new chairman as well," he stated.
Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman also congratulated Barak and expressed hope for cooperation with the new Labor leader on security and political issues, including his initiative to change the system of government.
Lieberman's ties with outgoing chairman Amir Peretz have been severed for quite a while due to his opinion that Peretz is harmful in his position. Nonetheless, he said that he would be glad to meet with Barak as soon as possible.
