Netanyahu opens coalition talks with Labour Party

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu opened coalition talks with the center-left Labour Party yesterday, seeking an alternative to a right-wing government that could lead to friction with Washington over Middle East peace.

Negotiators from Netanyahu's hawkish Likud party met their Labour counterparts only hours after the prime minister-designate enlisted the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas party as a coalition partner.

Labour is led by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who faces stiff opposition within his party to an agreement with Likud.