CAIRO,
September 4 (IslamOnline.net) - As part of strenuous efforts to over
come differences between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on control over security agencies and
negotiations with Israel, a number of Fatah Central Committee have
worded a six-point draft to bridge their gaps, well-informed
Palestinian sources told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, September 3.
They
added the draft stipulates the appointment of a new interior minister;
the withdrawal of Abbas’s resignation from Fatah Central Committee;
making all appointments in the Palestinian Authority and the
government after consultations between Arafat and Abbas; and convening
a monthly meeting between the PLO executive committee and cabinet
members to unify stances on crucial issues.
It
also stressed that the negotiation file should remain the
responsibility of the PLO alone and that a relevant committee should
be formed under Arafat chairmanship, said the sources.
The
draft said, as well, that a committee handling the security file would
be presided over by Arafat and groups Abbas, the new interior
minister, Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, Minister of State for
Security Affairs Mohamed Dahlan and Arafat’s security advisor Jebril
Ragoub.
Reservation
The
Palestinian sources told IOL that Arafat seems willing to accept all
proposals except for the one pertaining to the security affairs
committee.
The
Palestinian leader insists that the authorities of the national
security council should not be given to any other committee while
Abbas sees this as a key point for any reconciliation.
According
to the sources, Fatah Central Committee has endorsed the six-point
draft late Tuesday, September 2, and pledged to render all possible
support for its implementation.
More
Efforts
In
a related development, Palestinian Legislative Council member Azmy
Al-Shueiby said there is a general consensus on granting all political
institutions enough time to play a decisive role in bridging gaps
between Arafat and Abbas.
In
statements to IOL, the independent lawmaker added that PMs agreed that
when addressing the legislature Thursday, September 4, Abbas would
admit his differences with Arafat and its impact on the implementation
of the government program.
This,
Sheiby added, would help parliament speaker Ahmed Korei to refer
Abbas’s statement to the relevant committee for reconsideration.
He
pointed out that while parliamentary committees study the government
statement, Korei and active legislators would pressurize both Arafat
and Abbas to accept the new recommendations.
