Sharon sets tough agenda

JERUSALEM -- Winning parliamentary approval for his new rightist government, Ariel Sharon set tough conditions Thursday for peace talks with the Palestinians, even as President Bush urged him to work quickly toward a viable Palestinian state.\nAfter 29 months of violence that has buffeted Israel's economy and international standing and devastated the Palestinian areas, Sharon faces expectations from both Bush and many Israelis to find a way to change course.\nAlthough Sharon has said he favors a limited Palestinian state if violence ends, his new government's charter skirts the issue and says even launching negotiations on the terms of statehood will require special Cabinet approval -- a difficult hurdle, since two coalition parties and many members of Sharon's Likud fiercely oppose the idea.\nThe prime minister ended his speech to parliament on a personal note, saying that at his age -- he turned 75 Wednesday -- his only ambition is to lead his people "to a new path ... a path of reconciliation, a path of peace."\nBut the new government was condemned by Palestinians and faces a diverse opposition that includes ultra-Orthodox Jewish politicians outraged at being kept out of the Cabinet, Israeli Arabs and the dovish Labor Party, trounced in last month's vote.\nLabor Party leader Amram Mitzna blasted Sharon for promising peace but sticking to hard-line policies. \n"Without recognizing the need to separate from the Palestinians ... we will face difficult days," he told lawmakers.\nThe new coalition, which controls 68 seats in the 120-member parliament, won the legislature's approval by 66 votes to 48.\nDuring his speech Sharon was heckled by legislators from ultra-Orthodox parties kept out of a ruling coalition for the first time in 25 years.\nThe four-party coalition consists of Sharon's Likud; the National Religious Party, a leading patron of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; the National Union, some of whose members advocate forcing Palestinians out of the West Bank; and Shinui, which seeks to curb the influence of religion and believes there is no point in renewing peace talks until Yasser Arafat has been replaced.