Labor MK Pines-Paz: New role for Barak in gov't is 'pathetic'

Labor Party MK Ophir Pines-Paz on Tuesday harshly criticized the coalition agreement signed on Monday to bring his faction into a cabinet headed by prime minister-designate Tzipi Livni.

Pines-Paz also made a personal attack on Defense Minister and Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, calling his role as deputy prime minister "pathetic."

Pines-Paz derided the newly coined title, calling it irrelevant as "the law determines explicitly that the acting prime minister is the most senior minister."

In terms of the deal between Labor and Kadima, Pines-Paz called it "a survival agreement that lacks vision, guidelines and a plan of action." He added that the agreement is mostly concerned with petty power struggles and work schedules.

Pines-Paz added that "a considerable number of the clauses include a serious regression compared to the 2006 coalition agreement, especially in terms of commitments to the elderly and the approval of the state budget, against which Labor ministers voted as one."

The coalition agreement to bring Labor into a new cabinet headed by Livni was signed Monday after more than 18 hours of negotiations between the factions, and two days after a draft agreement was formulated between Barak and Livni.

Barak approved most of the clauses, but asked for changes in clauses involving limiting initiatives by Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann.