Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert edged closer today to shoring up a government under fire over the Lebanon war by adding a far-right party whose leader wants to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
In talks set later in the day with Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beitenu party, Mr Olmert plans to "talk (to him) about joining the coalition", said Miri Eisen, an Olmert spokeswoman.
Mr Olmert's bid for a larger coalition follows opinion polls showing a significant decline in his popularity and that of his government over their handling of the recent war in Lebanon in which the army failed to crush Hizbullah guerrillas.
With the addition of Mr Beteinu, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Mr Olmert would control 78 seats in Israel's 120-member parliament, up from just 67 that currently support him, enhancing his prospects of passing a 2007 state budget on time.
Adding Mr Beitenu to the government could create friction for Israel internationally and in the coalition over his calls to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank and transfer some Israeli Arab towns to any future Palestinian state.
Mr Lieberman said after talks with other Yisrael Beitenu leaders yesterday "a clear decision was made" to negotiate with Mr Olmert, head of the centrist Kadima party, and a that result could be reached within days.
Israel Radio said Mr Lieberman was expected to be named minister in charge of handling a crisis over Iran's nuclear programme which Israel fears could be used to make a bomb. Iran says its atomic work is for energy purposes only.