Posted on 06/26/2002 1:52:01 AM PDT by bradactor
Arafat Aide Announces Elections Wed Jun 26, 4:35 AM ET By JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writer
JERICHO, West Bank (AP) - An aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ( news - web sites) announced Wednesday that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held in January 2003, with precise dates to be announced later.
The announcement by Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian cabinet minister and key Arafat aide, comes two days after President Bush ( news - web sites) called for a change in the Palestinian leadership, and set sweeping democratic reforms and new elections as conditions for a provisional Palestinian state.
"President Arafat officially declares today that the election of the president of the Palestinian Authority ( news - web sites) and the election of the Palestinian legislative council will be held in January 2003," Erekat said, mentioning Jan. 10 or Jan. 20 as possible dates.
Erekat also said municipal elections — the first ever in Palestinian territory — would be held in March 2003, and that the Palestinian Finance Ministry would be overhauled. He said the judicial system would be reformed, and the appointment of "competent judges" would take place by September 2002.
In his speech on Monday, Bush said the Palestinians would have to change leaders, adopt a series of democratic reforms and halt terror attacks against Israel before there could be progress toward a Palestinian state.
The U.S. president urged the Palestinians to overhaul the Palestinian Authority, to rid it of corruption, create a legislature with real powers and establish an independent judiciary.
"Many of you may think, `Are we submitting this or saying this in response to President Bush's speech?' We are saying this in response to Palestinian needs. We're saying this because we have been working on this reform for months," Erekat said.
Palestinian Parliament Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman said it appeared most likely the elections would be held earlier in the timeframe given by Erekat, perhaps January 10 or 11.
Palestinians have been increasingly critical of Arafat in recent months. After 21 months of violence, more than 1,700 Palestinians and 500 Israelis have been killed, the Palestinian economy is in shambles. The Arafat government has largely ceased to function after repeated Israeli strikes in response to terror attacks.
Israel re-entered Palestinian areas in the West Bank last week after suicide bombers carried out back-to-back attacks that killed 26 Israelis. Israeli troops have met little resistance in the operation, which began a month after they wrapped up a six-week West Bank campaign in which dozens of Palestinian militiamen were arrested or killed.
Israeli troops held seven of the West Bank's eight major cities by Tuesday, with the only key town free of Israeli troops being Jericho, isolated in the Jordan Valley.
The funny thing is that the liberals believe them.
Lemme guess. January 32nd...
[ ] All of the above.
[ ] Yasser
[ ] Arafat
[ ] General Yasser
[ ] General Arafat
You forgot Chairman Yasser, etc
I just laughed up a lung. I wish Bush would stop stealing all of their ideas......LOL
Lying Islamofascist...you are saying it because the whole world believes now that your election are bogus and they are NOT "free".
I don't expect Jan 2003 to be any different without international intervention of some type.
The Cook County Democrat Committee has been hired to oversee the elections for fraud.
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