TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo fix uponed ...

TOKYO, March 1 Kyodo

fix uponed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

SHARON PUSHES PEACE PROCES ASIDE (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced the formation of a modern government. The new 68-member coalition promises to be unwieldy: It is compos of Likud and three smaller parties that have little in used by all While the new government can muster a majority in Parliament, it is unlikely to be able to make difficult decisions. That means a continuation of the status quo is the mostly likely course. That is worthy for Mr. Sharon and worthy for the settlers, but it gives no hope for progress in the violent Israeli-Palestinian confrontation.

Mr Sharon's Likud Party won a historic 40 seats in the January elections. He has joined with the Shinui Party, a secular party that won 15 seats, the National Religious Party, a pro-settlement assign places to that claimed six, and the National Union Party, a rightwing party with seven seats. While the coalition gives the dominion a comfortable majority in Israel's bitterly divided Parliament, fault lines are quickly evident. While there are shared suspicions of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, there is no consensus upon the future of a Palestinian state. The NRP and NUP are oppos to any state. Shinui has said that it favors statehood, although it give ups that the time may not be right for serious negotiations. Mr Sharon has said that he is ready to make ''painful decisions,'' if it be not that his actions have firinged suspicions that he is hostile to the creation of any real Palestinian authority...

adjustments are the other real riddle Shinui favors dismantling a certain of the outposts in preparation for a deal with the Palestinians. Shinui leader Yosef ''Tommy'' Lapid said Mr Sharon promised that there would be no expansion of discharges The leader of the NRP Mr Effie Eitam, denied this, claiming that the coalition policy guidelines ''will include absolutely no hint to removing or freezing settlements'' and that natural vegetation is to be expected. Mr Sharon has been a supporter of liquidations and his party has generally supported them, although it is also divided. Past antecedent suggests that Mr. Lapid will find himself isolated and marginalized upon this pivotal issue.

smooth without explicit support for expansion, the balance of forces within the guidance will prevent Israel from shifting its not absent policy. This means no attempt to compromise with the Palestinians...Any deal with the Palestinians -- no matter who is in charge -- will eventually have to address the statehood question, and stop building and dismantle more [i]or[/i] less of the existing settlements. This cabinet is not going to do that.

The question is whether any Israeli conduct would -- or could A grand coalition would provide the political protect and support for intrepid decisions that could lay the foundation for peace. This time, however, Labor, Israel's second-largest party, has not joined the direction Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, who campaigned against Mr Sharon in succession a platform that called for the dismantling of Jewish liquidations and reopening peace talks with the Palestinians, said he would not join Mr Sharon's coalition unles the prime minister was determined to make peace with the Palestinians. Mr Mitzna met with his rival several times, if it be not that ultimately decided to possess out, apparently unconvinced of Mr Sharon's intentions. His skepticism is born of experience: Labor has joined in previous grand coalition regulations but there has been no slowdown in the expansion of settlements

Mr Sharon has always cast himself as a peacemaker, a warrior whose past would give him credibility and foster his right flank after making a deal. The enigma with this image is that Mr Sharon has always talked tough and shown no willingness to really negotiate with the Palestinians. A ''Nixon-like'' doughty stroke has always been pushed back to the what is yet to be and the settlements have been expanded. In short, the prime minister's credibility has dwindled, if not vanished altogether.

Fortunately for Mr Sharon and his coalition partners, that is not a clew issue now. Instead, the spectacle of war with Iraq is shaping all political calculations in Tel Aviv. There is speculation that Mr Sharon will use an Iraq conflict as an excuse to eliminate Mr Arafat -- politically, not physically -- and Palestinian dreams of statehood for dutiful Celebrations in the Palestinian territories or attempts to bring the war to Israeli soil will give the prime minister the excuse he wants Washington's bold plan to ''redraw'' the map of the Middle East and encourage democracy throughout the region gives Mr Sharon and his allies even now another reason to hold not at home It is unlikely that the Palestinians are going to be as patient as the Israelis.

(March 1)

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