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Sources: Far right party joins Sharon's coalition
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party has reached an agreement with the ultra-right National Union party to join his ruling coalition, sources in both parties said. Sharon will present the coalition for parliamentary approval Thursday. The National Union party won seven seats in last month's election. Those seats would bring Sharon's coalition total to 68 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Earlier Likud -- which has 40 seats -- had concluded coalition agreements with the centrist Shinui party (15 seats) and the hawkish National Religious Party (6 seats). The agreement comes despite the National Union party's previous objections to Sharon's inclusion of a commitment to U.S. President George W. Bush's outline for Middle East peace in the government's platform. The Bush framework calls for moves toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. The National Union party in the past has flatly rejected any notion of a Palestinian state and some of its leaders have advocated the "transfer" of Palestinians. In campaign speeches prior to Likud's election victory, Sharon said that if elected he would put the Bush doctrine before the new government for its consideration. Under Bush's plan, a provisional Palestinian state would be formed by the end of 2003, once the Palestinian Authority had completed extensive reforms and held new elections. Bush also wants a final-status agreement on permanent borders by the end of 2005. Sharon has said that acceptance of the Bush plan would come with conditions and reiterated his demand that violence against Israelis end and the Palestinian leadership change. If that happens, he said, "Israel will allow the establishment of a Palestinian state with temporary borders." Sharon indicated the state would cover about 42 percent of the West Bank. The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported that a breakthrough towards "icing" an agreement between Likud and the National Union party was brought closer during a telephone conversation Tuesday between National Union leader Avigdor Lieberman and Likud negotiators. Lieberman had refused to accept any mention of a Palestinian state in the new government's policy guidelines, Haaretz reported. But the two sides agreed Tuesday that the issue of Palestinian statehood would only be brought before the cabinet "if and when it becomes relevant," the newspaper reported.
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