Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday he rejected the right-wing opposition Likud party's demands for a veto over peace and security policies as a condition for its joining an emergency government.
"We do not intend accepting any Likud veto or any type of diktat," Barak said at a stormy meeting of his Labor party in Tel Aviv.
"We want to have a true partnership in which decisions are taken together," he added.
Barak is trying to woo Likud's hawkish leader Ariel Sharon into a national emergency government and stave off the specter of early elections following a month of deadly unrest that has led to the virtual collapse of the peace process.
But negotiations have faltered over Sharon's demands for a veto over developments on the peace and security fronts.
Without a majority in parliament since July, Barak is scrambling to form a broad government before parliament returns on Monday – TEL AVIV (AFP)
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