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May 24, 1999
Web posted at: 10:02 a.m. EDT (1402 GMT)

TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak and a team of negotiators began talks Monday with possible coalition partners for Barak's new government. Barak asked potential partners to agree to a 10-point program, including guidelines on Middle East peace talks.

Barak's Labor-led One Israel coalition picked up 26 seats in the Israeli Knesset in last week's elections, far short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat legislative body.

Under Israeli law, Barak has 45 days from the election to form a new government.

As negotiations began, speculation grew over whether the former Army general would seek to strike a deal with outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party (19 seats) or the ultra-orthodox Shas party (17 seats).

Talks are scheduled with Likud and Shas representatives on Tuesday. But some of Barak's potential secular allies are adamantly opposed to any deal involving Shas.

"If (Shas) changes its nature and its attitude and its platform manifesto, we will discuss it again," said Meretz party member Amnon Rubinstein.

Some of Barak's campaign volunteers greeted him with chants of "Anyone but Shas" at a rally Sunday.

"I am determined, together with all -- all-- parties that want to lend a shoulder, to ensure that Israel embarks on a new path," Barak said at the gathering.

Barak's negotiators began talks Monday with the left-wing Meretz, which took 10 seats in the Knesset, and with Israel B'Aliya, a party of Russian immigrants that campaigned on promises of ending the ultra-Orthodox Shas party's control over powerful ministries that deal with immigrant services.

Later in the day, Barak's team was also to conduct negotiations with the Centrist Party and the secular rights party Shinui.

Israel B'Aliya, the Centrists and Shinui each won six seats in last week's voting.

Ten points to compromise

Shinui leader Tommy Lapid told Israel radio that Barak was circulating a 10-point plan to potential coalition members.

The document rules out a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, which is claimed by the Palestinians for a future state, and declares Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector where the Palestinians hope to establish a future capital.

Lapid said Shinui could accept all 10 of Barak's points -- but not if Shas joins the government.

Barak's team of negotiators, headed by former Justice Minister David Libai, plans to meet with all 14 parties that hold seats in the Knesset.

Israelis are not the only ones waiting for word on Barak's government composition. Arabs, too, are watching.

Barak has held fast to what Arabs call "the four no's": make no concessions over Jerusalem, keep most Israeli settlements intact, don't reestablish the 1967 borders that existed before the Arab-Israeli war, and don't allow any Arab army west of the Jordan river.

But he has also signaled new directions. Barak has, he says, a workable formula to bring peace and security to Israel's northern borders with Syria and Lebanon within a year, and he has vowed to change the tone of the debate with the Palestinians.

Correspondent Jerrold Kessel contributed to this report.