Avigdor Lieberman, who Thursday emerged as the most likely candidate to replace Tzipi Livni as Israel's foreign minister, intends to demand that Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu grants him "full autonomy" in the new post, Haaretz has learned.
Lieberman, who heads the country's third largest party, Yisrael Beiteinu, met with prime minister-designate Netanyahu Thursday at the Knesset. Neither party leader divulged information about the meeting or the issues discussed.
However, a source involved in talks between Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud said that "Lieberman wants to make sure that Netanyahu doesn't let another minister receive tasks that belong to the Foreign Ministry."
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The source indicated that Lieberman is interested in establishing sole and independent responsibility in Netanyahu's future government over Foreign Ministry-related affairs, and will strive to have a clause to that effect incorporated into the coalition agreement between Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu. "Lieberman wants to ensure that Netanyahu doesn't let Silvan Shalom handle negotiations with Syria in order to placate Shalom," the source said.
Shalom, a former foreign minister for Likud, is rumored to be highly interested in returning to his old post.
A laconic announcement released after the meeting said that the two strongest men in Israeli politics discussed "security and defense issues, and above all the need to pass the national budget for the years 2009 and 2010 in light of the financial crisis."
According to the announcement, the allotment of government portfolios "will be discussed at a later time." The announcement also noted that "the two parties do not believe this issue will be an obstacle."
Relations between Lieberman and Netanyahu have reportedly become tenser than usual following Netanyahu's talks with Labor chairman Ehud Barak over Barak's possible inclusion in a future government. Labor has a nucleus of prominent members who said they will not accept their party's entry into a coalition with Lieberman, whom they accuse of racism against Arab Israelis. Lieberman, for his part, was reportedly offended by Netanyahu's attempts to reach a deal with Barak. But prominent Labor members have harshly criticized Barak over the negotiations, saying Netanyahu's regional vision does not match Labor's.
With Kadima heading for the opposition benches and Labor's hard core leaning in the same direction, Lieberman is a crucial partner for Netanyahu if he is to form a coalition, as he was instructed to do by President Shimon Peres following the February 10 elections. Peres entrusted Netanyahu with the task instead of Kadima's Livni, based on a recommendation by Lieberman, whose party clinched 15 seats in parliament.
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