Netanyahu Defines Demands on Serving as Foreign Minster

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 04, 2002

Netanyahu Defines Demands on Serving as Foreign Minster

In an interview with Israel TV, former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defined his demands on serving as foreign minister in the narrow government led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

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In an interview with Israel TV, former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defined his demands on serving as foreign minister in the narrow government led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

According to the famous hawkish politician, Sharon has to support the removal of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from his office, and to make a clear outlining of the future geographic positioning of the security barrier between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sharon has also to reach an understanding that a Palestinian state would not be established, Netanyahu stressed, adding that he had made clear to Sharon that without the option of new elections soon, all of these demands were meaningless.

On Saturday afternoon, Netanyahu agreed in principle to serve asforeign minister, but set a precondition demanding that Sharon agree to hold early elections and that their cooperation continue after the elections.

Netanyahu told Israel TV that "the right thing is to immediatelygo to new elections," and predicted that the right-wing Likud Party would win the elections and double its current 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament.

Sharon responded by saying that he welcomed Netanyahu's decision, but that he was considering how to respond to his conditions.

Following the Labor Party's withdrawal on Wednesday, Sharon has been facing the hardest government crisis since he came to power last March.

The withdrawal left the Sharon-led government a minority of 55 seats in the parliament, and resulted in six vacant ministerial portfolios, including defense, foreign affairs, industry and trade,transport, agriculture, as well as science, culture and sport.

In a bid to ease the crisis, Sharon has to persuade the far-right National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu, which controls seven parliamentary seats to join his government, and to look out for suitable figures to fill the ministerial posts.

Retired general Shaul Mofaz announced Saturday night his acceptance of Sharon's offer to serve as defense minister left empty by Labor Party's chief Binyamin Ben Eliezer. The parliament will vote on the appointment of Mofaz on Monday.

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