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Barak: Reports aim to portray me as unethical By Mazal Mualem "I'm not convinced that the slew of negative reports about me is purely coincidental. Whoever is behind them is trying to portray me as an unethical individual, alienated from the public. It won't succeed," Labor Party Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Haaretz in an interview on Sunday. His comments referred to the reports about Taurus, the company owned by his wife, Nili Priel, and his plans to sell his luxurious home in Tel Aviv's Akirov Towers for NIS 40 million. Advertisement Barak has also had to cope in recent days with his party's collapse in the polls. In an interview with Channel Two on Sunday, he commented on the Taurus episode and on the Akirov Towers home. "The company closed down 24 hours after the controversy arose, in an effort to prevent any appearance of impropriety or slander. As a public figure I accept the fact that there are situations where appearance alone is no less important than the actual facts," he said. "I don't know how many public figures would have closed such a company within 24 hours ... This company conducted all its affairs out in the open. The names mentioned in connection were not among its clientele, not a single one of whom dealt with anything connected to the Defense Ministry or any other government ministry," he added. "My wife, Nili, has worked for years in public relations, marketing and promoting exports. I think the fact that she is married to a minister should not impair her personality, her identity, her independence and her record so long as she conducts her business openly and with due disclosure," he said. Concerning the letter Priel sent out, in which she sells herself as someone who is personally acquainted with all 900 decision-makers in Israel, whose contents was revealed by Channel 10, Barak said, "If there was some kind of aesthetic flaw in the marketing letter she sent out, I regret that." With regard to the reports of his plans to sell his luxury Akirov Towers' apartment, Barak said, "The purchase of an apartment is no Catholic wedding. A person's home does not define his values. "I grew up on a kibbutz. My parents' room did not have running water, a toilet or even room for my crib. I lived somewhere else ... For years I spent time with soldiers and army people. Such stories cannot disrupt my connection with the public." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Turning a blind eye Ex-Mossad agent Rafi Eitan: We let Nazi doctor Mengele get away. Aloha Republicans Hawaii's first Jewish governor says Palin is more experienced than Obama.

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