| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Palestinian council OKs prime minister postArafat to keep power to negotiate with Israelis, official says
RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- The Palestinian Legislative Council on Monday approved the creation of the position of prime minister for the Palestinian Authority, but the legislature apparently will leave the final say in negotiations with Israel to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. The council vote was 64-3, with four abstentions. The tally came after a tough speech from Arafat asking the international community to protect Palestinians from Israel and calling on the council to back the post of prime minister and his nominee, Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. Abbas' nomination will wait until the council approves the duties of the job and Abbas appoints a new Cabinet. A short time later, the council approved the first reading of a series of amendments to what is called the basic law, which serves as the Palestinian Constitution. It is not clear how long the council will take in proposing and approving the amendments. Ordinarily, readings to proposed bills must be done over a three-week period. But under a special decree issued by Arafat that process could be accelerated. After the vote, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Arafat would continue to have final say in negotiations with Israel, but he said Abbas would have a strong hand in those negotiations because he is the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Having a prime minister step into the role of key negotiator had been one of the major demands of the international community. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has refused to negotiate with Arafat. Sharon has said the objective of his new coalition government would be to remove the Palestinian "terrorist leadership." In London, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, speaking at the House of Commons, said he welcomed the nomination of Abbas. He said those who know Abbas know "he has a fine track record in peace negotiations with Israel." Erakat said Abbas would be given day-to-day operations of the Palestinian Authority under the proposed amendments. The draft text of the amendments said the prime minister will be responsible for forming a government and for appointing all the heads of Palestinian Authority ministries. He also will be in charge of internal security. However, under the Palestinian Authority setup, there is no foreign ministry. Arafat has always conducted foreign affairs and been responsible for security. He will continue to have that role. While the changes to the basic law will give Abbas control over police and internal security, Arafat will control the army and the Palestinian Authority's external security services. On Saturday, Arafat nominated Abbas to be the first Palestinian prime minister. Abbas is a member of Fatah, Arafat's political party -- the largest among Palestinians. Abbas has been Arafat's chief lieutenant and is secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee. Long involved in peace negotiations, he was one of the key players in the secret talks that led to the 1993 Oslo accords and is the former PLO ambassador to Moscow. Abbas met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in Washington in 2001 while he was in the United States for medical treatment. The Bush administration warmly welcomed the move for a prime minister's post when Arafat announced its creation in February following months of intense international pressure. Following the announcement, a U.S. State Department official said, "We hope this is a first serious step toward that critical objective. The next step is the creation of a sound constitutional, legal basis for an effective prime minister position." Arafat has long resisted appointing a prime minister, concerned it could weaken him politically.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
