Finance Minister Silvan Shalom presented his early-bird version of the national budget for year 2003 this afternoon, calling for cuts totaling 8.7 billion shekels - a slash of about 4%. Hardest-hit will be the Defense Ministry budget, which will be pared down, according to Shalom, by some three billion shekels. He hopes the government will approve the plan this coming Tuesday. \"We are now engaged in a no-choice economic war,\" Shalom said, \"and therefore everyone must rise above all the other considerations.\" Education is to be cut by 450 million shekels - less than the planned reductions in the Housing and Trade Ministries.