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Wed 23 Apr, 2003 08:57 am
7:28 AM PDT, April 23, 2003 E-mail story Print
Abbas, Arafat Agree on Cabinet
From Associated Press
The agreement was essential for keeping alive a U.S.-backed peace plan for full Palestinian statehood within three years.
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas presented a new Cabinet to Yasser Arafat, ending a dayslong standoff with the Palestinian leader over its composition, officials said today.
Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia said he was informed by Abbas and Arafat that the new Cabinet was formed, just hours before a midnight deadline, and the list of ministers is ready for presentation to the parliament.
"We were asked to call for a special session of the Palestinian legislature to vote confidence in the new government," Qureia told The Associated Press. "I will call for a session ... within a week."
The agreement was essential for keeping alive a U.S.-backed peace plan for full Palestinian statehood within three years. President Bush has said he only will present that plan after an empowered Palestinian prime minister is installed.
Earlier today, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman pressed Abbas and Arafat to end their standoff.
Suleiman presented a compromise proposal to Arafat in an hour-long meeting at the Palestinian leader's West Bank headquarters, an official close to the talks said. He then visited Abbas' nearby home and went back to see Arafat again.
Suleiman then accompanied Abbas on a visit to Arafat's headquarters. That team included Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief tapped by Abbas for a key security post.
Arafat climbdown brings new hope of Middle East peace
April 24, 2003 - London Times
Arafat climbdown brings new hope of Middle East peace
By Robert Tait in Ramallah and Philip Webster
YASSIR Arafat staged a dramatic eleventh-hour climbdown last night, conceding powers to his Prime Minister-designate in a move that promised to breathe new life into the Middle East peace process.
After days of unrelenting international pressure, the Palestinian Authority leader finally bowed to demands that he allow Mahmoud Abbas to take office by dropping opposition to his Cabinet nominees.
The development paves the way for the Bush Administration to publish its Middle East "road map" ?- a step-by-step plan designed to culminate in the creation of an indepndent Palestinian state by 2005. President Bush has committed himself to publishing the plan as soon as Mr Abbas is confirmed in office.
Tony Blair expressed delight at the breakthrough. There was now "every chance that we can make progress in the Middle East," he said. The Prime Minister, who has championed efforts to revive the peace process, had personally appealed to Mr Arafat to show flexibility.
After talking by telephone to Mr Bush, he said that there was now "a genuine commitment the world over" to make "a reality of the two-state solution ?- Israel confident in its security and recognised by the Arab world, and a viable Palestinian state".
The US State Department said that the resolution of the Palestinian leadership crisis was an important step towards implementing a plan for a Palestinian state and would bring "a better situation for Israelis and Palestinians". The road map would be published as soon as the Cabinet was approved by the Palestinian parliament, probably early next week.
The impasse was over Mr Arafat's refusal to concede ground to Mr Abbas on the issue of reining in militants who attack Israel.
The Israeli Government of Ariel Sharon refuses to negotiate with Mr Arafat, whom it accuses of stoking the armed Palestinian uprising.
Mr Arafat disagreed with Mr Abbas's proposals for clamping down on militant groups such as the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, all of whom carry out suicide bombings against Israel.
In the event, Mr Arafat dropped his opposition to Mr Abbas taking charge of the security forces ?- a vital area for cracking down on militants ?- as his own Interior Minister. He also accepted Muhammad Dahlan, a pragmatist acceptable to Israel, becoming Minister for Internal Security.
The breakthrough came hours before a midnight deadline for Mr Abbas to form a government, and followed a day of intense mediation by Egypt's head of intelligence, Omar Suleiman. Mr Abbas had already written his letter of resignation. He is now expected to present his Cabinet to the Palestinian Legislative Council early next week. Its approval is seen as virtually inevitable.
Mr Arafat conceded defeat after an unprecedented campaign of international pressure, which included telephone calls from European and Arab leaders and indirect communication from the Bush Administration.
The agreement was presented as a face-saving compromise. An Egyptian official said that Mr Arafat had backed down in exchange for guarantees on his personal safety and a promise that his isolation, imposed by Israel, would end.
Quote:
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, reacting to the news of agreement on a new Palestinian cabinet, said that his government will do everything in its power to reach a diplomatic settlement with the Palestinians that will lead to a peace deal, Israel Radio reported. [/color]
"There have been many stories and headlines as of late about pressure exerted on Israel that never was, demands made of Israel that never were and depictions of how much Israel was dependent upon elections among the Palestinians," Sharon said Wednesday during Mimouna festivities in Sderot.
"I want to stress that Israel wants peace, the citizens of Israel want peace, Jews want peace. The government, under my leadership, will make every effort to reach a diplomatic settlement that, with God's help, will lead to peace. Of course it is very important that on the other side is someone who desires an end to terror and the achievement of peace." [/b]
Opposition leader Amram Mitzna (Labor) said Wednesday that the formation of a new Palestinian cabinet will obligate Israel and the Palestinians to enter negotiations, which he regarded as "encouraging." Mitzna said that the new Palestinian government signals that there is a partner with whom to conduct dialogue.
"This will not make negotiations with the Palestinians easy or simple, but it will make negotiations possible," Mitzna said while attending Mimuna celebrations in Mevasseret Zion.
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz called the creation of the new PA cabinet a golden opportunity for Israel to renew its negotiations with the Palestinians, Army Radio reported.
MK Zvi Hendel (National Union) said the PA continues to be a well-oiled murder organization and that the nomination of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Mohammed Dahlan, the powerful former Gaza security chief, to senior government positions is proof of this.
U.S. welcomes agreement on Palestinian cabinet
The United States welcomed on Wednesday an agreement on a Palestinian Cabinet and said it looked forward working with Israel and the Palestinian prime minister-designate on resuming work on Middle East peace.
The U.S. called for quick confirmation of Palestinian cabinet and vowed to put its "shoulder to the wheel" to implement a peace plan.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen, his prime minister-designate, agreed on the makeup of a reform Cabinet and defused a power struggle delaying a new Middle East peace plan, Palestinian officials said.
A senior Arafat aide said that under the deal, Abu Mazen would also serve as interior minister, while Dahlan would be in charge of security affairs.
Arafat had rejected any role for Dahlan, whom he fired last year, but apparently yielded to pressure from the peacemaking "Quartet" led by the United States, which deemed Dahlan a key to curbing militants opposed to negotiating peace with Israel.
"The next step would be the submission of the cabinet to the Palestinian legislature and (they) would need to quickly approve it," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "We see no need for that to take any length of time."
"Once it (the road map) is formally released to the parties we welcome their contributions to it," Fleischer told reporters. "Because, in the end, as much as the United States will be there with our shoulder to the wheel to help make this happen ... it still in the end is up to the Israelis and the Palestinians to work together on agreement about the terms of the road map to make it meaningful progress."
"We welcome the announcement that the Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Abu Mazen has formed a Cabinet list for submission to the Palestinian Legislative Council," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "We look forward to speedy confirmation by the Palestinian Legislative Council.
"The United States also looks forward to working with Abu Mazen and with the Israelis as they begin the hard work of ending the violence and returning to a political process that can achieve (U.S. President George W. Bush's) vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," the spokesman told reporters.
Boucher noted Washington has said it will release the "road map" peace plan on behalf of the Quartet, the mediation group that also includes the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, once the Palestinian Cabinet is confirmed.
EU: Deal will pave way for peace talks on Palestinian state
The European Union welcomed the agreement on a new Palestinian cabinet Wednesday, saying it would pave the way for relaunching of peace talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state.
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country holds the EU presidency told reporters the new Cabinet under Abu Mazen "will open the way to publishing the road map."
Papandreou, in Brussels for EU meetings, said he had phoned Arafat late last night urging him to end his objections to the Abu Mazen Cabinet.
European Commission President Romano Prodi also praised the agreement, saying in a statement the new cabinet "marks a major step forward for the Palestinian Authority."
Prodi added he expects the peace plan, drawn up by Washington, Russia, the United Nations, and the EU to be presented to Israel and the Palestinians "without delay."
"The people of Israel and the Palestinian territories have already waited too long for peace, there is no more time to lose," Prodi said.
British PM Blair: Now there is every chance of peace
In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and visiting Spanish counterpart Jose Maria Aznar also hailed the agreement.
"Now there is every chance of peace," said Blair, adding that the way was clear for publishing the so-called peace "road map" aimed at creating a Palestinian state by 2005.
Aznar said the agreement was the first step on the way to Israel and the Palestinians living as separate states in peace.
Rantissi warns new PA gov't under Abu Mazen not to wage war on Hamas
Senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi on Wednesday warned the new Palestinian cabinet under Prime Minister-designate Abu Mazen not to declare war on his organization, Israel Radio reported.
Rantissi said that Hamas will support the new government if it fights the Zionist occupation, but if the government thinks of declaring war on the Jihad warriors, Hamas will fight it.
Rantissi added that this was not an appropriate time to establish a new government. He said efforts to liberate Palestinian lands should continue, despite the international pressure placed on Arafat.
MK Ahmed Tibi, a former Arafat advisor, responded to the Palestinian developments in an interview with Army Radio.
"If anyone thinks - or thought over the past several weeks - that Yasser Arafat ... will disappear or does not exist, they are wrong. They are wrong because they are not correctly reading the Palestinian map," Tibi said.
This is a clarification on what was the response of the Israeli government and personally PM Sharon to the new prospects of establishing peace in the Middle East.
Source:
PM says will make efforts to reach accord with new PA cabinet
Hopefully Sharon will match the last Israeli offer. If he doesn't things may look dim.
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