PERES QUITS LABOR PARTY TO CAMPAIGN FOR SHARON

Peres leaves 'party politics' to give support for Sharon
By GIL HOFFMAN (JPost)

Former prime minister and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres ended weeks of speculation about his political future when he announced on Wednesday that he had decided to retire from the Knesset, endorse Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and join his attempt to bring about Middle East peace.

If Sharon is re-elected as prime minister, Peres is to serve as a senior minister in charge of peace talks with the Palestinians and developing the Galilee and Negev regions. He does not intend to seek a Knesset seat with Sharon's new Kadima party, ending a record 46 years in the Knesset.

Following his return from Spain on Wednesday, Peres called Sharon to inform him of his decision and they agreed to hold a joint press conference on Sunday. Peres read his page-long, prepared statement to a room full of reporters in his Tel Aviv office.

"In the current political structure, advancing the peace process is possible only through a coalition for peace and development and in my view the man best suited to lead such a coalition, based on proven results, is Prime Minister Ariel Sharon," Peres said.

"I spoke with Mr. Sharon and I am convinced that he is determined, as I am, to continue with the peace process and restart it immediately after the elections. He is open to creative ideas for achieving peace and security. I decided therefore to support his election and cooperate with him to realize these goals."

Peres, 82, said that it was difficult for him to leave the Labor Party 61 years after joining it as a youth leader. He told his associates that, following his loss to Amir Peretz in the November 9 Labor leadership race, he was disgusted by party politics and he could no longer remain in Labor.

"I found myself faced with a contradiction between the party of which I am a member and the realities of the political situation," Peres said. "Without ignoring the deep connection that I have to the party's historical path and its members, I must prefer the more urgent and greater consideration."

Crediting his mentor, David Ben-Gurion, for teaching him to put his country before his party, Peres said, "My party activity has come to an end."