21 more days for Peres

Press, 28 August 1984, Page 6

21 more days for Peres

NZPA-AP Jerusalem President Chaim Herzog, emphasising the need to install a new Government quickly, gave the Labour Party’s leader, Shimon Peres, another 21 days yesterday to build a coalition. Mr Peres was to resume talks with Yitzhak Shamir’s Likud Party to try to resolve the last issues blocking a bipartisan Government that would include the two rival political blocs. After an initial three

weeks of negotiations, Mr Peres failed to build an alliance with the Likud or other parties that could command a majority of 61 in the 120-member Knesset (Parliament). If Mr Peres fails again, Mr Herzog will probably ask Mr Shamir to try. Mr Herzog told Mr Peres that he favoured a joint Labour-Likud Government that could tackle a projected 400 per cent yearly inflation rate and end the

27-month occupation of south Lebanon, according to a Presidential communique. “I stress the urgency of the need to establish a Government in order to confront as soon as possible,” the country’s problems, Mr Herzog told Mr Peres. Mr Peres said he had reached an agreement “in principle” on key policy issues with Likud leaders, but he declined to say what the chances of success were in his talks with Mr Shamir.