Last update - 00:00 09/06/2007
Ayalon: I will reserve Finance Min. for Braverman if elected
By Eli Ashkenazi and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents
Labor leadership candidate MK Ami Ayalon said Saturday that in any government that he creates or has influence on its formation, the finance portfolio will be reserved for MK Avishay Braverman.
Ayalon made the statement promising the position of finance minister to Braverman, the former Ben Gurion University of the Negev president and senior World Bank official, at Kibbutz Deganya Bet, where he held his last elections conference before Monday's primary.
At least two hundred Jordan Valley residents took part in the conference. Ayalon spoke about recent initiatives to renew the peace processes and said that, "it is unconceivable that an Arab leader is calling for discussion and we aren't going to talk with him."
He maintains that "we must talk with the pragmatic countries in the Arab world that want to talk with Israel in order to stop Iran. They are concerned with the radical terrorism and want an Israeli- Palestinian political agreement."
Regarding criticism over his pact with Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Ayalon said, "Between the first and second rounds of the primary, I went from being labeled Mitzna to a Machiavelli."
Ayalon said that "we must not let the discussion over choosing leadership sway to ideas of sociology and anthropology. I won't let the Labor party go back to a place where we'll have to apologize again."
Channel Two reported Saturday that the second candidate for Labor leadership, Ehud Barak, said in a closed forum that he expects general elections will be held in 2008.