Interior Minister Haim Ramon

	Barak quits; will not be part of Sharon's government
	Labor leaders aim to thwart Ehud Barak
	The Knesset
	The Labor Party

Interior Minister Haim Ramon launched an attack on the leadership abilities of Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg in an apparent first step towards a bid for control of the Labor Party. In an interview that appeared in Friday's edition of Yediot Aharonot, Ramon stated that Burg "is a nice guy, someone suitable for jobs like Speaker of the Knesset or President, but to be Prime Minister… you need other characteristics."

Haim Ramon has not yet declared plans to contend the Labor Party leadership. In coordination with Burg, Ramon had been instrumental in efforts to depose Ehud Barak from the Labor helm; Burg subsequently announced his candidacy for party leader.

A spokeswoman for Haim Ramon emphasized that "Burg and Ramon have been friends for years and nothing said over the weekend [would] change that. [Ramon] merely said that Avrum is better at handling issues that unify the country as he does in the Knesset, while he is better at making unpopular decisions. He did not think he was attacking Burg at all."

Avraham Burg did not respond personally to Ramon's attack, but sources close to Burg claimed that the interview "revealed Ramon's true face." Burg's associates countered Ramon's charges by stating that Ramon "may be talented, but he is not popular, and to be elected Prime Minister you have to be popular."

An opinion poll conducted for Channel 2 Television by Mina Tzemach of the Dahaf Institute revealed that Ramon has very little support among potential Labor Party leaders. Shimon Peres was supported by 27% as the best candidate to lead the party, followed by Burg with 23%. Only 5% of those polled want Ramon to lead the party, placing him well behind Benyamin Eliezer and Shlomo Ben-Ami as well. Only Burg and Ben-Eliezer have officially announced their candidacies.

"I'm used to being unpopular," Ramon told reporters on Channel 2 Television's "Meet the Press" program last night. "That's because the public isn't familiar with my record yet."

According to the Yediot Aharonot interview, Haim Ramon has not yet decided if he will contend the Labor Party leadership. Even so, speculation is that Ramon will announce his candidacy this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.

© 2001 Koret Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.