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04-21-2003, 02:11 PM
Arafat, Abbas Fight Over Cabinet Formation
Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas Disagree Over Formation of New Palestinian Cabinet
The Associated Press
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JERUSALEM April 21 —
Yasser Arafat and his prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, remained at loggerheads over the composition of the Palestinian Cabinet on Monday, after all-night negotiations failed to produce a compromise.
The crisis described as the most severe ever between the two threatens to torpedo a U.S.-backed "road map" to full Palestinian statehood within three years.
Abbas, who must win parliamentary approval for his Cabinet by Wednesday, has threatened to resign if his team is not accepted. The United States, in turn, has said it will only present the peace plan once Abbas and his Cabinet have been installed.
The main dispute is over the appointment of Mohammed Dahlan, a former security chief in Gaza. Abbas wants to give Dahlan a key security post, while Arafat wants to keep a confidant, Hani al-Hassan, in the job. The new security chief would have to supervise a crackdown on Palestinian militants, a prerequisite for moving ahead with the internationally backed peace plan.
On Saturday, Abbas stormed out of a meeting with Arafat after the Palestinian leader refused to support Dahlan's inclusion in the Cabinet. Israel and the United States back Dahlan, who has said he is confident he can rein in the militants.
Hassan does not have much international support, and as interior minister in the past few months has not succeeded in halting attacks by militants on Israelis.
The wrangling is over more than Cabinet appointments. If Abbas prevails, it would suggest he can pursue an independent policy. If Arafat wins, it may mean Abbas is little more than a figurehead.
Dahlan has offered to give up the security post to defuse the tensions, but Abbas insists on his appointment, the officials said.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has until noon Wednesday to present his government to the 88-member Palestinian legislature.
If he does not complete his Cabinet list by Tuesday, there will not be enough time for all legislators to arrive in the West Bank town of Ramallah for the session, officials said Monday.
Abbas and Arafat have not met since Saturday, but their aides have been holding marathon talks, including an all-night session that ended early Monday without results, the officials said.
Several senior officials declined to speak on the record, apparently afraid they would end up backing the loser in the showdown.
Several possible alternatives to Abbas have been mentioned, including Hassan and Cabinet minister Nabil Shaath, who has served as a de facto foreign minister since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994.
The Quartet of Mideast negotiators the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations has demanded that Arafat reform his corruption-plagued regime before moving ahead with the road map.
In recent days, Arafat has come under growing international pressure to stop undercutting Abbas, Palestinian officials said.
European leaders, including German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, have spoken to Arafat by phone, pressing him to help get the new Cabinet approved quickly. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah have also urged Arafat to bring the process to a close, the officials said.
Israeli officials are closely following the Arafat-Abbas talks, warning that Arafat is attempting to retain control over the Palestinian Authority, a move that they say would torpedo efforts to advance the long-stalled peace process and end 30 months of fighting.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030421_211.html
Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas Disagree Over Formation of New Palestinian Cabinet
The Associated Press
Print This Page
Email This Page
See Most Sent
• Tales of Shock, Defeat From Iraqi Officers
• Universe's Secrets Found in Dust Bunnies?
• Get a Jump Start on Tax-Deferred Savings
JERUSALEM April 21 —
Yasser Arafat and his prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, remained at loggerheads over the composition of the Palestinian Cabinet on Monday, after all-night negotiations failed to produce a compromise.
The crisis described as the most severe ever between the two threatens to torpedo a U.S.-backed "road map" to full Palestinian statehood within three years.
Abbas, who must win parliamentary approval for his Cabinet by Wednesday, has threatened to resign if his team is not accepted. The United States, in turn, has said it will only present the peace plan once Abbas and his Cabinet have been installed.
The main dispute is over the appointment of Mohammed Dahlan, a former security chief in Gaza. Abbas wants to give Dahlan a key security post, while Arafat wants to keep a confidant, Hani al-Hassan, in the job. The new security chief would have to supervise a crackdown on Palestinian militants, a prerequisite for moving ahead with the internationally backed peace plan.
On Saturday, Abbas stormed out of a meeting with Arafat after the Palestinian leader refused to support Dahlan's inclusion in the Cabinet. Israel and the United States back Dahlan, who has said he is confident he can rein in the militants.
Hassan does not have much international support, and as interior minister in the past few months has not succeeded in halting attacks by militants on Israelis.
The wrangling is over more than Cabinet appointments. If Abbas prevails, it would suggest he can pursue an independent policy. If Arafat wins, it may mean Abbas is little more than a figurehead.
Dahlan has offered to give up the security post to defuse the tensions, but Abbas insists on his appointment, the officials said.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has until noon Wednesday to present his government to the 88-member Palestinian legislature.
If he does not complete his Cabinet list by Tuesday, there will not be enough time for all legislators to arrive in the West Bank town of Ramallah for the session, officials said Monday.
Abbas and Arafat have not met since Saturday, but their aides have been holding marathon talks, including an all-night session that ended early Monday without results, the officials said.
Several senior officials declined to speak on the record, apparently afraid they would end up backing the loser in the showdown.
Several possible alternatives to Abbas have been mentioned, including Hassan and Cabinet minister Nabil Shaath, who has served as a de facto foreign minister since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994.
The Quartet of Mideast negotiators the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations has demanded that Arafat reform his corruption-plagued regime before moving ahead with the road map.
In recent days, Arafat has come under growing international pressure to stop undercutting Abbas, Palestinian officials said.
European leaders, including German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, have spoken to Arafat by phone, pressing him to help get the new Cabinet approved quickly. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah have also urged Arafat to bring the process to a close, the officials said.
Israeli officials are closely following the Arafat-Abbas talks, warning that Arafat is attempting to retain control over the Palestinian Authority, a move that they say would torpedo efforts to advance the long-stalled peace process and end 30 months of fighting.
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030421_211.html