Barak resigns - this time it is final. (Reuters)

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	Prime Minister's Office
	The Knesset

Prime Minister Ehud Barak last night announced for the second time his resignation from politics. In a decision that caught most political pundits off guard, Barak stated that he would not serve as Defense Minister in a national unity government led by Ariel Sharon.

In a bitter letter dispatched to Sharon, Barak blamed the Prime Minister-elect for misleading him and dissipating any potential for mutual trust between the two. "A quick glance at the newspaper headlines of the last few days shows how you would relate to our working together," Barak wrote in the letter. Barak could not accept Sharon's demand that he be a "loyal soldier" and therefore decided to turn down an appointment as Defense Minister.

In the letter Barak also wrote that there was strong opposition within Labor Party circles to the inclusion of [MK Rechavam Ze'evi] Gandhi and [MK Avigdor] Lieberman in the government. Barak claimed that the principles of these two Knesset members and their [National Union] faction strongly conflicted with Labor Party positions.

Barak stated that he would "recommend to members of the Labor Party that they try to bridge the remaining gaps in negotiations with the Likud, in order to form the national unity government that is needed at this time." However, his resignation clouded the future of the unity talks.

Barak's abrupt announcement came in the wake of growing opposition within the Labor Party to his appointment as Defense Minister. Interior Minister Haim Ramon, who resigned from the team responsible for coalition negotiations, had threatened to present the Labor Party's Central Committee with an alternative slate of ministerial candidates, excluding Barak from the list.

Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg and Knesset members Salah Tarif, Nawaf Mazalha, Yael Dayan and Avi Yechezkel aligned themselves with Ramon's efforts to force Barak's exclusion from a future national unity government.

Barak had tried to counter this opposition by launching a personal campaign to convince committee members to support his positions. He was said to have told them: "Without me, there is no national unity government."

Israel Radio reported that in a meeting held yesterday afternoon, Barak's advisers persuaded him to return to his initial decision to take a break from politics.

Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon expressed sorrow at Barak's decision but stated that it was not his place to "get involved in the internal matters facing the Labor Party." Sharon did not ask to Barak to change his mind, and still hopes Labor will agree to join his government.

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