The Michigan Daily- Sunday, August 12, 1984 - Page 3
PERES, SHAMIR DISCUSS COALITION GOV'T
Israel struggles with crisis
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Three weeks after.
Israel's general elections, the nation still has a crisis
in government with no solution in sight.
Labor Party leader Shimon Peres and outgoing
Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir have met three times
to try and forge a bipartisan government, but both
sides concede little headway has been made.
IF THE talks fail, the possibility looms that new
elections may be the only way out.
The main issues still to be resolved are who would'
be prime minister in a so-called national unity
government, and what would be the foreign policy of,
such a government.
Compromise proposals include an unprecedented
rotation of the premiership between Peres and;
Shamir.
TO GET AROUND policy disputes, such as the
basis for negotiating peace with Jordan, suggestions
have been made that the government limit itself to
trying to solve the nation's faltering economy.
But Likud's hardliners and Labor's left-wing
allies threaten a revolt if their leaders make too
many concessions.
Labor edged Likud by 63,000 votes in the July 23
elections, ending up with 44 seats to 41 for Likud in the
120-seat Knesset, or parliament. But neither party
was able to line up a parliamentary majority froml
the 35 others seats held by 13 small, special interest
parties.
TRYING TO break the stalemate, President Chaim,
Herzog stepped in a week ago to name Peres prime,
minister-designate. He gave Peres three weeks to'
form a government - preferably one that included
both major blocs.
The leftist Al Hamishmar newspaper, which
speaks for the six-seat socialist Mapam faction in the
Labor alignment, predicted the coalition talks would
fail because neither tparty could sacrifice
fundamental policies.
"It wasn't the polarized vote that split the people.
The vote merely reflected the split in the nation," the
paper said. "The rift won't be healed by artificially
mixing opposing political movements in the
government, but only when one side convinces the
other of the justice of its course."
ARIEL SHARON, the brash former defense
minister and leading hardliner in the Likud bloc, has
insisted the new government continue this settlement
push in the West Bank.
"A national unity government with the
participation of the Likud will object to any plan for
freezing settlements. The Likud will continue its
settlement policy," he told the daily Hadashot
newspaper.
Peres' campaign platform proposed launching a
peace initiative with Jordan on the basis of a
territorial compromise and a de facto freeze in
settlement building.
WHEN THE ISSUE came up in unity talks last
week, Peres clashed with Samir, who was quoted in a
leaked transcript of the meeting as saying "Likud
will not be willing to accept a proposal that includes
territorial compromise."
Such a land-for-peace trade has been the basis of
U.S peacemaking efforts in the Middle East since
1967. The current Israeli deadlock augured poorly for
President Reagan's plan for federating the West
Bank with Jordan.
Only once in the 36-year history of the Jewish statE
have Israeli politicians buried their differences ac
formed a national unity government.
See ISRAELI, Page 4 ,
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Officer
talks
woman out
of suicide
By MARLA GOLD
A 41-year-old woman was pulled to
safety Friday afternoon after
threatening to commit suicide by jum-
ping five stories from a parking struc-
ture at Main William.
Security guard Paul Wallace, sho
works at the structure , said he first
spotted the woman sometime after 2
p.m. and talked with her briefly. "The
first thing I asked her was 'Are you
really going to jump?' She shook her
head and answered 'yes," Wallace
said.
WALLACE THEN called Ann Arbor
Police, who blocked off Main
Street between William and Liberty,
and William between Fourth Ave. and
Main, and sent in Staff Sgt. Alroy Van-
derpool, a member of the special tac-
tics unit who has had formal training in
hostage negotiations.
See POLICE, Page 5
*1
Associated Press I
Boston blaze
A firefighter walks in front of a spectacular nine-alarm fire at the Boston Plate Glass warehouse in South Boston
yesterday. There were no injuries, but the structure was completely destroyed.
I
Zimbabwe to adopt one-party rule
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's ruling party approved by the country's major political groups at talks in
has given Prime Minister Robert Mugabe the power to London in December 1979, a multiparty democracy is
introduce a one-party socialist state, replacing one of guaranteed until 1990.
Africa's few remaining Western-style democracies, party Changes in the constitution, making way for a one-party
congress sources said yesterday. state, can be made only with unanimous approval of all 100
The 6,000 delegates to the Zimbabwe African National National Assembly members. Mugabe holds 57 of those
Union congress, meeting Friday in Harare, also called for seats, while the rest are filled by Nkomo (20 seats), Smith
introduction of an executive presidency, which would (nine), Muzorewa (three), and 13 white independents who
effectively raise Mugabe's status from prime minister to support the prime minister.
head of state.
A RESOLUTION presented to the party congress early The opposition leaders say they will not support moves
yesterday morning said the changeover to a one-party state towards what they call "a dictatorship."
would be conducted "in the fullness of time and in Mugabe, arging for a ban on opposition parties, has said
accordance with the law and the constitution." each of the opposition parties has plotted to overthrow his
Party sources later told The Associated Press the resolution government.
had been adopted, but this was not officially confirmed. Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia until 1980, when white
No deadline has been set for doing away with the rule under Smith ended, and power was transferred to
multiparty system, and Mugabe is expected to hold talks Mugabe. Smith had unilaterally declared the country's
with political opposition leaders Joshua Nkomo, former independence from Britain in 1965.
Prime Minister Ian Smith, and Bishop AbelMuzoreqa. Durig 90 years of Whit inorfity tI, th +t ntry was'
'UNDER -THE' present British-drafted constitution. fre.e-whe.ing.capi. .s.soiety....
Mugabe.....
... advocates constitutional changes