Senior aides of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that they may fail to muster a majority for the budget, in which case the government will topple and elections will have to be held. „Unless Shinui changes its position, there is a real possibility that we will have to go to elections,” one aide said Thursday. „The coalition’s majority is tiny, and it is not certain that it can be maintained throughout the numerous budget votes.” Sharon is to meet Shinui leader MK Yosef Lapid Saturday evening. Sharon spoke to Lapid on the telephone Thursday and asked to have the meeting. Lapid asked whether MK Avraham Poraz could also attend the meeting and Sharon agreed. The two said jokingly that they could watch the football game between Israel and Ireland, which coincides with their meeting. .BPI-info
Lapid’s stand on the budget has not changed, according to Shinui people. „Sharon and his aides know what our position is. We’ve already made a concession when we agreed in principle to support the budget even from outside the coalition, providing they cancel the millions granted to United Torah Judaism,” one Shinui member said. Another added that „if Sharon’s people continue believing that Lapid will fold at the last moment, they will wake up a day after the 31st of the month and find there is no budget and we’re heading for the polls.” Sharon’s aide reiterated that he cannot accept Shinui’s demands to cancel the grant to the ultra-Orthodox party or to make changes in the status quo. A meeting between the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ilan Cohen and MKs from the United Arab List over the faction’s vote on the budget bill ended with no results early Friday. The sides met for six hours. The Arab MKs are demanding that the government write off debts accumulated by members of the Arab sector to the tax authorities. The sides agreed to resume talks at the start of next week, Israel Radio reported. Sharon met Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and coalition chairman MK Gideon Sa’ar Thursday to allocate among them the efforts to obtain a majority for the budget. They decided not to resume the talks with Shas, as the chances of persuading it to remove its objection to the budget are nonexistent. Sharon, Netanyahu and Sa’ar will meet at least once more at the beginning of next week. On Sunday, Sharon is scheduled to meet Yahad leader Yossi Beilin. This will be the first meeting in years between the two political rivals. Five of Yahad’s six MKs are expected to support the budget, to prevent the government’s collapse and help advance the disengagement plan. MK Yossi Sarid refuses to support the budget and is expected to abstain from the vote. However, it is assumed that if the fate of the budget hangs on Sarid’s vote, he will help the coalition and support the budget. Ilan Cohen, director general in the Prime Minister’s Office, met two Knesset members of the United Arab List Thursday to ensure their abstention from the vote. Sharon’s aides made inquiries among the other Arab factions, but they remain adamant that they will vote against the budget BPI-info
