Livni, Yishai agree to 'speed up' talks
After being urged by Transportation Minister Mofaz to join new government, Shas leader meets with Kadima chairwoman as part of coalition negotiations, says 'there is a willingness to bridge the differences.' Parties' negotiations teams to meet later Thursday
Prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni and Shas Chairman Eli Yishai met Thursday afternoon at the Kadima chairwoman's Jerusalem office.
The two were initially scheduled to meet later Wednesday night, but Yishai was forced to cancel while already en route to Livni's home due to personal reasons.
The main point of contention for Shas remains the issue of increasing welfare stipends for children.
"There are still differences, but there is a willingness to bridge them," Yishai said upon leaving the meeting.
He reiterated this demand that "this should be a social we should have a social government and this is not a slogan. We demand that a great part of the money for family pensions will be transferred as part of the 2009 budget and not later."
The long meeting was deemed "good" and the two ministers agreed to speed up the talks. Kadima and Shas' negotiations teams are expected to meet at 7:30 pm Thursday in a bid to form agreements and bridge the gaps.
Shas officials said earlier this week that the party would not retract its demand for an increase in child welfare payments as a precondition for joining the coalition. Livni is opposed to any deviation from the existing State Budget.
The Shas members added that they would seek a guarantee from the PM-designate that a significant portion of the funds earmarked for the child welfare payments be approved within the framework of the 2009 budget.
"We don’t want the funds' allocation to be distributed over several years; we want the money to be allocated this year," one official said.
Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who announced his return to political activity at the beginning of the week, came to Livni's aid earlier Thursday, telephoning Yishai and urging him to join the new government being formed by the foreign minister.
Mofaz told Yishai that the partnership between Shas and Kadima is strategic and must be viewed looking to the future.
On Sunday, Mofaz vowed to do all in his power to help Livni, and he appears determined to keep his promised. The minister, whose relations with the Shas party are considered good, noted that every effort should be exerted in order to ensure that Shas would be part of the coalition.
A Kadima source has said that after Shas presented all its demands, "progress can be made on many of the issues." The negotiations teams are expected to meet once again on Saturday evening.
Meretz: Coalition talks 'positive'
Meanwhile Thursday, the Kadima negotiations team met with representatives of the left-wing Meretz party. Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron said at the end of the meeting that he believes Livni is truly interested in having his party join her government.Oron, who met with the Kadima chairwoman on Wednesday evening, said that "we reviewed all the issues in the conversation. We heard positive signals on the part of Kadima, but we have yet to receive answers. We expect them to let us know what they are willing to give us and what they aren't in the next meeting.
"The negotiations are being held in a positive manner, and we are under the impression that they wish to complete it on a positive note. We do not feel that we are being used."
Meretz set a number of conditions for joining the government, including a commitment to evacuate settlements and outpost, a demand for a minister and a Knesset committee chairman on behalf of the party, and social-economic demands.
Kadima has thus far signed a coalition agreement only with Labor, which has 19 MKs. Kadima itself has 29. Livni must now bring in an additional 13 MKs to form a steady government – however Meretz would bring with it only five MKs.
Livni will run out of the initial 28 days allotted to her to form a government early next week. President Shimon Peres tasked her to do so on September 22, after she narrowly defeated Mofaz to succeed resigning Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
