--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland
Foreign Affairs College
Institute of American Studies Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Israeli Parliament Approves Sharon's New Government
Israeli Parliament, or the Knesset, approved Friday the new government submitted by elected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is facing daunting task of resurrecting the ailing economy and restarting the peace talks.

Knesset President Reuven Rivlin announced that Sharon's four-party coalition government won the approval by 66 votes to 48.

The new government, which is based on a coalition of four parties including the Likud, Shinui, National Union and National Religious Party, controls 68 seats of 120-member Parliament.

Twenty ministers from Sharon's new cabinet took the oath, while three more ministers will not be sworn in until Monday due to procedural reasons.

During his presenting speech, Sharon said his government's "first order of business" would be to heal Israel's ailing economy, which has suffered badly from the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Sharon set tough conditions for renewing negotiations with the Palestinians, even as US President George W. Bush urged him to work quickly toward a Palestinian state.

He said that before any progress can be made on the diplomatic front, there would have to be "a cessation of terror and incitement," a change in the Palestinian leadership, and fundamental reform of the Palestinian National Authority.

Sharon, 75, ended his speech on a personal note, saying that his only ambition is to lead his people "to a new path ... a path of reconciliation, a path of peace."

That could prove to be a tough task for Sharon. During the speech, he was heckled by rightist lawmakers from ultra-Orthodox parties, which were kept out of the ruling coalition for the first time in 25 years.

After 29 months of violence that has buffeted Israel's economy and international standing, the hardline Israeli leader is under high pressure to change course in order to restore peace in the region.

Although favoring a limited Palestinian state if violence ends, Sharon's new government's charter insisted that even starting talks on the terms of statehood will require special Cabinet approval.

That will be a difficult hurdle, since two coalition parties and many members of Sharon's Likud Party fiercely oppose the idea.

(China Daily February 28, 2003)

Sharon Rejects Arafat's Offer to Meet and Resume Peace Talks
Arafat Says Ready to Negotiate with Sharon "Immediately"
Sharon's Likud Wins; Israeli Left Crushed
Israel Begins General Elections
Sharon Dismisses Quartet's Roadmap Peace Plan
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688