Livni: Government must transcend politics
In her first national address since becoming prime minister designate, Tzipi Livni discusses ongoing coalition negotiations, peace talks with the Palestinians and the economic crisis
"We must act quickly to secure political stability so that we can face challenges both domestic and foreign," Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni said on Sunday afternoon in her first speech since being tasked with forming a new government.
Speaking at the Foreign Affairs Ministry's conference on policy and strategy, she went on to say that a stable government is one that can rise above the individual needs of any one party.
Livni also discussed the financial climate: "Responsible economic policy cannot be linked to political happenings or factional considerations. Israel's economy is strong, and it can even survive wars."
The successor to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and one of the key Israeli figures involved in the current round of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Livni also addressed the peace talks.
"The process should continue and we should press ahead and conduct ourselves correctly. Don't let incidental dates or political changes get in the way of a responsible process," she said.
Earlier in the day Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki also addressed the forum, accusing Israel of failing to uphold the commitments it made to the Palestinians at the Annapolis peace summit in 2007.
Livni responded to al-Maliki's charges briefly, saying "the negotiations should continue just as we agreed at Annapolis. Nothing will be agreed on until there is agreement about everything. I call for the negotiations to continue between us, and not in the headlines."
