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PLO body approves prime minister postArafat taps second-in-command for No. 2 position
RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- A top body of the Palestine Liberation Organization has approved the creation of the post of prime minister in the Palestinian Authority, clearing the way for government reforms that the United States, the European Union and Israel have called critical. The PLO's 128-member Palestine Central Council made the decision in a vote late Saturday. The motion will move to the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian parliament, for what could be a heated debate over the prime minister's powers and responsibilities. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat announced Saturday that he has chosen the PLO's second-in-command, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to be the first prime minister. The establishment of the post marks the first real move toward power-sharing by Arafat since the Palestinian Authority was established under the 1993 Oslo peace accords. Under those accords, Israel handed over to the Palestinians control of parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told CNN that 114 members of the council attended Saturday's meeting, but another 14 were unable to reach Ramallah because they were in Gaza or in exile. Legal changes to be discussed MondayThe Palestinian Legislative Council will convene Monday and Tuesday to change the Basic Law of the Palestinian Authority to establish the prime minister post. "Then they will have to reformulate the powers and responsibilities of the prime minister," Erakat said. "This will take some time," he said. "The council members want to create a real post with real powers," but they are divided over how broad the prime minister's powers should be as second-in-command to Arafat. Council agreement is expected by Tuesday, when members are to decide Abbas' nomination in a "vote of confidence." The appointment comes after months of intense pressure by Israel, the United States and the European Union for broad reforms of the Palestinian Authority, which has been accused of corruption and abuse of power. Israel and Washington have been trying to sideline Arafat and calling for a more democratically elected Palestinian leadership. Abbas, who has not indicated whether he would accept the post, is a longtime PLO official, a member of Arafat's ruling Fatah Party, and was an architect of the Oslo accords. His appointment indicates that Arafat might have abandoned his previous resistance to sharing power with a strong prime minister. "The prime minister will be a credible and empowered prime minister," Erakat said. "This is part of the reform program, an attempt to regain the confidence of the Palestinian people, and to proceed with reform in terms of accountability and transparency," Erakat said. "We also hope we will be able to re-engage with the Americans, and with the Israelis as far as the peace process is concerned." Erakat warned that the influence of a new prime minister depends also on Israel's actions, and called for a halt to assassinations and an easing of curfews and travel bans in Palestinian territories.
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