Peres to back Sharon

Veteran statesman Shimon Peres was set on Wednesday to announce that he is leaving Israel8217;s Labour Party to back Ariel Sharon in the Ma...

Veteran statesman Shimon Peres was set on Wednesday to announce that he is leaving Israel8217;s Labour Party to back Ariel Sharon in the March election, without formally joining the prime minister8217;s new party, Channel 10 TV said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Peres8217;s aides. Channel 10 said Peres, attending an Israeli-Palestinian soccer match in Barcelona, conveyed his decision to one of its reporters accompanying him on the trip.

The departure of the 82-year-old Peres from his long-time political home would represent a vote of confidence by the Nobel peace laureate in Sharon8217;s oft-repeated pledge to make 8220;painful concessions8221; for peace with the Palestinians.

Twice prime minister, but never elected to the position, Peres was visibly stunned earlier this month when firebrand trade union chief Amir Peretz ousted him as Labour Party leader in a primary election.

Israeli media reports said Sharon would offer Peres the job of peace envoy if the new Kadima party won the poll.

As Labour Party leader and Israel8217;s vice premier, Peres helped Sharon complete a unilateral pullout of troops and Jewish settlers in Gaza last September despite protests in the Likud that such a withdrawal only rewarded Palestinian violence.

Speaking to reporters in Barcelona on Monday, Peres said he would announce his decision after his return home. 8220;In my eyes it8217;s not a problem of parties but a problem of peace8212;how to create a strong coalition for peace,8221; he said.

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Peretz, an avowed socialist, took Labour out of the government, condemning what he called harsh economic policies that hurt Israel8217;s poor. But opinion polls show Kadima besting Labour and the Likud in the March 28 ballot.

Sharon, who remains prime minister until the election, sought the backing of some 70 Israeli mayors on Tuesday, Fourteen Likud legislators have already defected. Reuters