Posted on 03/03/2003 1:32:44 PM PST by anotherview
Mar. 3, 2003
Arafat: 'Conspiracy' hinders appointment of Palestinian prime minister
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on Monday claimed that a "conspiracy" was behind the delay in his decision to appoint a prime minister for the PA.
"There is a conspiracy to abort the implementation of decisions the PA has taken to name a prime minister," Arafat told reporters shortly after meeting in Ramallah with representatives of the Quartet, which comprises the US, EU, UN and Russia.
He accused Israel of plotting to thwart planned meetings of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the PLO Central Committee later this week to discuss the issue by stepping up its military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and banning Palestinian officials from arriving in Ramallah to participate in the sessions.
Arafat said Israel has refused to allow the treasurer of the PLO Central Council to enter the West Bank from the Allenby Bridge on the Jordan River. He did not name the official, but went on to say that his presence was vital for the meetings to take place on Saturday and Monday.
Referring to the IDF operations in the West bank and Gaza Strip over the past few days, Arafat said: "If Israel continues with these operations, it would have to bear the responsibility for the delay in appointing a prime minister," he added, warning the Israeli government against giving permission to Jews to enter the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Arafat met in his Ramallah headquarters with three representatives of the Quartet UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, Russian foreign minister Andre Vodivin and EU official Miguel Moritanos, and discussed with them his plan to share power with a prime minister. Arafat had promised the Quartet representatives two weeks ago to appoint a prime minister as part of major reforms in the PA.
Palestinian officials told The Jerusalem Post that Arafat also briefed the Quartet officials on the latest security developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and urged them to apply pressure on Israel to stop its military operations.
PA Minister of Local Government Saeb Erekat, who participated in the meeting, said Arafat asked the Quartet representatives to see to it that Israel would allow all the members of the PLC and the PLO council to attend the meetings in Ramallah.
Earlier, Arafat chaired a joint meeting of the Palestinain Cabinet and the PLO Executive Committee in Ramallah to discuss the issue of naming a prime minister. Later, Arafat summoned leaders of the Fatah movement for a meeting to discuss with them the same issue.
A senior Palestinian official said Arafat has decided to convene the PLO Central Council in Ramallah on March 8 and the PLC on March 10 to brief them on his decision to name a prime minister. The two councils are also expected to amend the PA Basic Law, the de facto Palestinian constitution, so that it would include a prime minister. PA Minister of Labor, Ghassan al Khatib, said Monday's meeting did not discuss names of candidates for the position of prime minister. "Contrary to the impression created by most of the media, the meeting focused solely on the unprecedented Israeli escalation, especially what happened last night in Nablus and the Gaza Strip," he explained.
He confirmed that the PA was under pressure from the international community to appoint a prime minister who would share power with Arafat for the first time in four decades. But, he added, this issue does not preoccupy the Palestinians "who are much more concerned at the Israeli military escalation."
Meanwhile, Ahmed Qurei, Speaker of the PLC, on Monday called on Arafat to appoint the PLO's second-in-command, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), to the post of prime minister. "My favorite candidate for the job is brother Abu Mazen," he said. "But in the end, the decision is in the hands of the President, and the PLC would be asked to endorse the candidate through a vote of confidence,"
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