Shimon Peres said last night that he would accept an invitation from Likud leader Menachem Begin to discuss the possibility of the Labor Alignment joining a Likud-led national unity government. However, he made it clear that there has been no change in Labor’s negative attitude toward an all-party coalition and said that Begin is fully aware of Labor’s position.
Nevertheless, “If he invites us to a meeting we shall go,” Peres said after the Labor Party named him its chairman. The post is a new one, established to replace the office of secretary general which has been vacant since Meir Zarmi resigned on the eve of the May 17 elections.
Meanwhile, Likud is studying on eight-point coalition guideline proposed to it yesterday by the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC). The two factions are scheduled to resume their coalition talks tomorrow and sources on both sides appeared to be optimistic that their differences can be bridged opening the way to formation of a broadly based government. The most serious obstacle, sources said, is the DMC’s insistence that each party in the new coalition have the right to veto the establishment of new settlements on the West Bank.
If Begin is unable to draw the DMC into a coalition, he will be able to form a government based on Likud and the religious factions. The Aguda Israel has approved the draft of a coalition agreement with Likud, subject to final approval by the Aguda’s Council of Sages. The letter is expected to give its endorsement since Liked has accepted the Aguda’s key religious demands. (By Yitzhak Shargil)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
