Prime Minister Ehud Olmert canceled the cabinet meeting Tuesday for a few minutes after an angry quarrel broke out between him and Defense Minister Amir Peretz regarding the non-payment of salary to local authority employees.

After Olmert's opening remarks and a summary by the interior minister of local municipalities who have yet to pay workers' wages, Peretz asked for the floor. Olmert denied Peretz's request and said the subject is not part of his responsibilities.

"You have to wait patiently. Things are not done here according to your own schedule," Olmert said.

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Peretz angrily responded and said, "You are behaving like the only ruler of the state." Olmert retorted, "You will not do whatever you please here, sit quietly."

Olmert then canceled the meeting for a short time.

Interior Minister Roni Bar-On said regarding Peretz, "Here, the Histadrut leader has returned."

Prior to the cancellation of the meeting, Olmert spoke of the postponement of the payment of salaries to local authority workers and reiterated that they were not state employees.

"There is no way we can accept the fact that people who worked won't find an appropriate solution to the problem of their salary," Olmert said. He maintains that this is an elementary human problem that cannot be accepted.

Olmert also said he held talks with Histadrut labor federation chair Ofer Eini, and said he supported the payment of wages, but said it would be a mistake to go on a general strike for something the government supports.

Data presented at the cabinet meeting shows that 33 local authorities and 18 religious authoritues have yet to pay 5,000 employees their salaries, with the debt standing at NIS 76 million.