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Barak aims message at undecided voters

Barak
"I don't promise you peace. I promise you a best effort to reach it if it's possible," Barak told CNN  
  WEB EXCLUSIVE

'It's natural it comes with violence,' he says of peace process


In this story:

Palestinians wary

Barak: 'Maybe I made mistakes'

Sharon: Peace 'not a gimmick'

Many voters still undecided

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



From CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney, Christiane Amanpour and Ben Wedeman

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Refusing to heed suggestions that he step aside for another candidate in Tuesday's election, Prime Minister Ehud Barak called on Israelis Friday to vote for "their families, their children..."

In an interview with CNN Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, Barak admitted he might have made "tactical mistakes" with the Palestinians but said he still represents the best hope for peace.

 VIDEO
Barak sat down for an interview on the election with CNN's Christiane Amanpour (February 2)

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CNN's Jerrold Kessel has more on the Israeli elections (February 2)

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CNN's Mike Hanna tells what's at stake in the upcoming Israeli elections (February 1)

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 AUDIO

Barak tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour "now is a crucial stage of the peace process"

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Sharon Timeline gallery: Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon
 
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graphicIn-Depth: Israel Election 2001
 
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graphic Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:
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 •  Activist deaths
 
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A Gallup poll published Friday showed Barak's challenger, Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon, leading the prime minister 51 to 34 percent. The results were in line with other polls taken in recent weeks.

Friday was the last day political parties could switch their candidates ahead of Tuesday's vote. Barak had been under pressure to step aside in favor of his Labour party colleague Shimon Peres, who polls showed would have a better chance of defeating Sharon.

Barak told reporters Israelis would have to realize Tuesday's election is about "their own fate and the fate of their families, their children, all of us."

Palestinians wary

The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, expressed its concerns over a possible Sharon victory.

"We don't think that Mr. Sharon is coming to plant roses all around the road between here and Jerusalem. He is going to come with more aggression, with more atrocities against our people," said Marwan Kanafani, an adviser to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Hanan Ashrawi, a leading Palestinian activist, cautioned that neither candidate is acceptable. "The Palestinian leadership is reacting to an exaggerated fear of Sharon. Sharon may be brutal, but so is Barak," she said.

The Islamic militant group Hamas warned that the Palestinian leadership's preference for Barak could backfire.

"It's a big mistake," said Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab. "When the Palestinian Authority tries to bet on a loser, it will lose."

Barak: 'Maybe I made mistakes'

Barak was elected less than two years ago on a promise to deliver peace -- a promise the prime minister said he has not conceded.

"I do not promise you a peace," he said. "I promise you a best effort to reach it if it's possible, and I have many reasons why (I have) to do it now and not to delay it."

"Maybe I made a few or maybe many tactical mistakes," Barak told CNN, "but I did not make a mistake in the very essence of what I've ... chosen to do, namely to leave no stone unturned in order to find a way to put an end to this conflict, at the same time to be open-eyed enough to realize that it takes two to tango."

Sharon: Peace 'not a gimmick'

Barak's campaign was forced to answer new questions Friday over violence and security in the Middle East after Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli motorist in the West Bank.

It was the latest incident in four months of bloody clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, and added to a death toll that tops 400 -- most of them Palestinians.

That violence has shadowed the campaign, and analysts said the election is as much about peace in the region as it is about personalities.

"I understand the importance of peace much better than a lot of politicians who talk about it," said Sharon. "With me, peace will be a peace for generations and not a gimmick of the elections."

Barak told CNN the violence is inevitable during this "crucial stage" of the peace process.

"It's natural that it's tough, it's natural that it comes with violence," he said. "We have to be able to stand firm and, out of sense of self-confidence and the strength to make decisions, to lead it to an end, preferably through an agreement. If not, without agreement."

While acknowledging Sharon's extensive military career, Barak criticized his opponent for heating up an already volatile political landscape.

"As a political leader, he is almost personally the dominant figure in every blunder that we have gotten into in the last generation," Barak said.

Barak blamed Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount on September 28 for setting off the recent round of violence.

CNN requested a pre-election interview with Sharon, but was turned down.

Many voters still undecided

With 16 to 19 percent of voters polled saying they are undecided, Barak has turned his focus toward galvanizing their support. Many undecided voters are Labour Party supporters who voted for Barak in the last election but are unsure about casting their ballots for him again.

Win or lose, Barak said his legacy will be to have forever changed the face of the Middle East peace process. He said he's "ready to take the risk" in dealing with the harsh realities of negotiating it.

"My political career is something very dramatic," he said. "I came to power faster than ever in the history of this country, and I stood until now for the shortest time as a prime minister. But let me tell you, I don't take myself so seriously as to pretend that I am more important than the future of this country."



RELATED STORIES:
Barak: 'Fate of Israel' at stake in election
February 1, 2001
Barak refuses to stand aside
January 31, 2001
Hope for new Mideast summit
January 30, 2001
Arafat may allow Jewish settlements
January 29, 2001
Sharon calls peace talks a campaign ploy by Barak
January 28, 2001
Mideast negotiators want to continue talks after Israeli elections
January 27, 2001
Mideast talks sidestep impasse; more planned
January 26, 2001
Killings overshadow Mideast talks
January 25, 2001
Israeli minister returns to talks venue
January 24, 2001
Decision on Mideast peace talks due Wednesday
January 23, 2001

RELATED SITES:
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israeli Prime Minister's Office
Knesset, The Israeli Parliament
Likud
Meretz Party (In Hebrew)
Avoda (Labour) Party (In Hebrew)
World Economic Forum
Palestinian National Authority
PLO Negotiations Affairs Department
Israel Defense Forces
Palestinian Red Crescent

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