Posted on 03/09/2003 8:52:58 AM PST by HAL9000
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - The Palestinian parliament is set to make a key decision this week defining the powers of a new prime minister, with PLO moderate Mahmud Abbas set to take the post in a move which could see Yasser Arafat relegated to a largely ceremonial role.
Israel is cautiously awaiting the result, which some analysts say could be a watershed in efforts to see Arafat sidelined, but which Palestinian officials see as a sign of groundswell of domestic democratic reform.
Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has been a strong critic of the militarisation of the Palestinian uprising, which has left more than 3,000 dead on both sides after 29 months, and recently called for armed factions to suspend attacks for a year to give peace a chance.
But he has hinted he will not take the job unless he is given sufficient executive powers to push through much-needed reforms, while Arafat is expected to fight to avoid relinquishing a leadership role that spans more than three decades.
Israel, the United States, and increasingly the European Union want to see Arafat assume a more symbolic role and have pressured him to share power with a strong premier.
Palestinian officials said Sunday that Abu Mazen enjoys widespread support in key leadership bodies and was likely to win the powers he has demanded when the Palestinian parliament meets Monday and Tuesday to put the finishing touches to the job.
"What we want is to have a prime minister with real powers in a position that guarantees the work of our institutions and the due process of law," said Jibril Rajoub, a member of the Revolutionary Council of Arafat's Fatah faction.
"The era of over-riding our institutions and the patriarchal system will have to end forever," said the former head of West Bank preventive security, who clashed with Arafat on several occasions before being dumped from his job last year.
Palestinian parliamentary speaker Ahmed Qorei was more circumspect, saying only that "we will have a prime minister with power that will not take away from the powers of the president (Arafat) but will reinforce it."
In Israel, Abu Mazen's nomination was greeted with cautious optimism.
Sharon, who has refused to meet Arafat but has reportedly held talks several times with the 68-year-old Abbas, said he "favourably welcomed" the designation but said he would have to see what powers were actually ceded by Arafat to his moderate deputy.
Sharon's former foreign minister, Shimon Peres, of the opposition Labour party also lauded the nomination.
"He is a responsible man, he has the seriousness required of the job, as well as clear positions and intentions," he said.
"The challenge he faces is to endow the Palestinians with a central power which is capable of controlling, in the first place, the various armed movements, as well as Palestinian funding and policy," said Peres, with Abbas one of the architects of the collapsed 1993 Oslo peace accords.
Peres said there was an "open and increasing struggle" between the radical Islamic group Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), "with Hamas trying to intensify the terrorism and prevent the PLO returning to the way of peace".
"The Palestinians have reached the conclusion that they are losing their international standing, because what weight can their words have when Hamas is shooting and killing?" he said.
Actually, that number came from the Palestinian Authority. U.S. and Israeli estimates place Arafat's net worth at 11 billion dollars.
I don't know why even Israelis seem to be optimistic about Mohammed Abbas a/k/a Abu Mazen. He's been the #2 man in the PLO for a long time, and is Arafat's #1 lieutenant. It's more of the same.
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