February 15, 2003

Arafat agrees to share power

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has agreed to appoint a prime minister - a key demand by the US and international mediators for progress on a political settlement.

However, Mr Arafat did not name a prime minister, set a date for the appointment or say how much power he would share.

The BBC's Barbara Plett says the US, Israel and the European Union, have been insisting that Yasser Arafat hand most of his powers over to another leader.

His announcement came after talks with envoys from the European Union, the UN and Russia at his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Mr Arafat said he would convene the Palestinian legislature and central council "to get their consent to take the necessary steps" to name a prime minister.

He did not say when the two institutions would meet.
In June US President George W Bush called for a new Palestinian leadership that was "not compromised by terror".

However one of Mr Arafat's senior negotiators, Saeb Erekat, denied that Mr Bush's views influenced the Palestinian leader.

"Arafat did not make concessions to the United States," he told AFP news agency.

"His decision is consistent with our reform program."

Mr Arafat has been the undisputed leader of the Palestinian movement since the early 1960s.

But there have been allegations of corruption and incompetence within his Palestinian Authority - as well as infighting apparently encouraged by Mr Arafat as a way of preventing any of his deputies from becoming too powerful.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has refused to deal with him, calling him both a leader of Palestinian terrorism and "irrelevant".

On Sunday, he again accused Mr Arafat of being behind attacks on Israeli targets and called for his removal as leader.

I love President Bush for his policy towards Arafat alone!
No more stayovers in the Lincoln bedroom like we endured with Klinton, as if Arafat were America's favorite friend and ally...
I'm sure that Yasser fought this move (to put someone else in besides himself) like a wildcat and I'm still not sure he'll actually allow anyone else to be appointed to "his" position as leader of the "Palestinians" but it's clear that he and Saeb are getting desperate, baby!
If he does do this, it will be some puppet.
There will never be a "Palestine," but if the Muslims in Israel ever get their own democratic state, it will definitely be over Arafat's dead body and that would be a good thing, too.