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Peres to be Nominated as Temporary Chief of Labor Party
Leaders of Israel's Labor party, in disarray after the landslide election defeat of its chairman Ehud Barak, planned Sunday to make senior statesman Shimon Peres temporary chairman.
Peres is strongly in favor of joining the government of Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, who defeated Barak in the election, and the Labor party is scheduled to decide Monday on whether to do so.
The choice of Peres was made at a meeting of the Labor party cabinet ministers, but it too has to be submitted Monday to the 600-strong party central committee for approval.
Negotiators from Labor and Sharon's right-wing Likud party worked to complete a coalition agreement Sunday night. The meeting ended with agreement on all but two of Labor's demands, which will probably be discussed again Monday morning.
Most Labor voters favor joining Sharon's proposed government of national unity, opinion polls say.
Among the portfolio's which Sharon has offered Labor are the prestigious foreign and defense ministries. Peres would probably receive the foreign ministry.
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