Barak says Olmert cannot stay in office

VIDEO - I believe Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cannot run the government and his personal affairs at the same time, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a special press conference Wednesday afternoon convened following US businessman Morris Talansky's pre-trial deposition Tuesday, in which he said he gave Olmert hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. Video courtesy of infolive.tv "The prime minister must detach himself from the daily management of the government. He can do so in a variety of ways: Suspension, vacation, resignation or leave of absence. This will not be determined by us," Barak said. Asked what he would do if Olmert's ignores his stance, Barak replied that "the prime minister must act, and the Kadima party must make decisions." "Kadima party will have to self-examine itself and choose its way and its leader, and if someone replaces him there, we may consider working together." The defense minister noted that "Olmert cannot deal with the challenges Israel faces, like Hamas, Hizbullah, Syria, Iran and the kidnapped soldiers, and run his personal affairs at the same time." He added that "the Labor Party will not hold a stopwatch in Kadima's face, but things have to happen as soon as possible… The State deserves stability, and therefore we must have a government in the Knesset. I am not afraid of elections. The public will decide and we will win." Press conference (Photo: Flash 90) The Labor chairman briefed his faction members on his remarks several minutes before the press conference. He told them that he would call on the prime minister to leave office. Earlier Wednesday, Barak told Olmert that he cannot stay in office, as the two met for about an hour at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. The meeting was held following the recent developments in the police investigation launched against the prime minister and Olmert's fear that the Labor Party chairman would call on him to take leave of absence. Wednesday's meeting was held following a National Security Cabinet discussion. As Barak prepared to return to the Knesset and prepare for his press conference, Olmert summed him to his office. Labor source: Early elections within 2 months A source in the Labor faction told Ynet following Barak's press conference that if a new government is not formed within two months, his party will work towards pushing up the elections. The source said that the timetable Barak intends to work by is limited by the current Knesset term. Labor Knesset members later filed a bill proposal to disperse the 17th Knesset. The bill was authored by MKs Ophir Pines, Eitan Cabel, Shelly Yacimovich and Danny Yatom. The proposal was coordinated with Labor Chairman Barak. A number of similar proposals have been filed by various MKs in the past, but can only be voted on when such a motion is deemed viable. In a statement issued following the press conference, the Likud party wrote, "Enough of these political maneuverings. The great challenges this country faces demand we establish a new, strong government. "The Likud calls on all the House factions, from both the Right and the Left, to set a date for the dispersal of the Knesset and new elections." MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima) criticized the Labor chairman for asking Kadima to elect a new leader. "Ehud Barak cannot run his own party, so he should not advise us how to run the Kadima faction." MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) called on Olmert to resign immediately "in light of Defense Minister Barak's call that he cannot run the defense and foreign affairs." MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) said that "Barak understood he cannot continue sailing on Olmert's sinking pirate ship." According to Eldad, as soon as Israel rids itself from the shame imposed upon it by the cash envelop men, the better. MK Yuli Edelstein said that Barak "should have clarified when and how must Olmert detach himself from the management of the State." MK Zevulun Orlev (NU-NRP) accused the defense minister of selecting a vague statement without an obligating timetable. MK Colette Avital (Labor) welcomed her party chairman's remarks. "There is no ethical or moral possibility for Olmert to stay in office. Kadima must now choose its way accordingly." Ministers call on Kadima to 'take responsibility' Before the press conference, a large number of politicians called on Barak to declare that the prime minister must leave office following Talansky's testimony. Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Wednesday morning that "Kadima must take responsibility and make difficult decisions. I am not ruling out an election campaign. The problem is of a person who I hope manages to prove his innocence and is acquitted. The problem is Kadima's and Olmert's." Minister Ami Ayalon told Ynet that "the prime minister cannot stay in office." He said that Israel's citizens had the right to have a prime minister who is capable of governing. "He should draw the necessary conclusions from Morris Talansky's deposition. If he fails to do this – the Labor party will work towards pushing up the elections," Ayalon said. Dramatic voices were also heard among members of the prime minister's party. MK Amira Dotan (Kadima) sent a letter to Olmert, calling on him to vacate his office in favor of "an alternative leadership which will advance the State's affairs." MK Dotan wrote in the letter, "Mr. Talansky's testimony still echoes in my years and requires a public leadership statement. We must serve as an example for values and norms which are what gained us the public's trust." Roni Sofer contributed to this report

Barak says Olmert cannot stay in office

(Video) Defense Minister Ehud Barak says he believes prime minister cannot run government, his personal affairs at the same time. In special press conference, he calls on Olmert to detatch himself from management of State as soon as possible