Arafat Feels Victory After Winning PLC Approval for New Cabinet

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Arafat Feels Victory After Winning PLC Approval for New Cabinet

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Raising his hand and waving a "V" sign at the end of a special session of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat expressed happiness on Tuesday following a 56-18 vote for his new cabinet.

Amid warm clapping and smiles of Arafat's supporters in the Palestinian parliament for the greatest victory, Arafat looked happier and relaxed after the voting.

"This is a victory for the Palestinian democracy," Arafat, surrounded by members of the PLC and the new cabinet and his body guards, told reporters after the PLC session in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Arafat, 74, who presented his fourth government on Tuesday and won confidence, said that this "confidence is a message to the world and to the Arab nations that the Palestinians are a united people despite wounds and pains."

"The Palestinian people won for the sake of their legal cause, for the sake of Jerusalem, the capital of the independent Palestinian state," said Arafat.

Arafat formed a new Palestinian cabinet that consists of 19 members, 15 of whom are members of the former cabinet that resignedon Sept. 11 to avoid a voting of no confidence by the vast majority of the PLC members.

Arafat did not change any of the former 15 members, whom the PLC members were calling to replace, and had only nominated four new ministers to add to the 15 from the former cabinet.

The vote of confidence for almost the same cabinet had created astorm of criticism during Tuesday's session by opposing PLC members. However, when 56 voted for the cabinet, most of them Fatahsupporters, it had put an end to the storm of criticism in the PLC.

"I'm so proud of this democracy. Everyone was able to say yes orto say no, but everyone voted for the sake of Palestine and for thesake of East Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state," saidArafat.

Commenting on the last result of the voting, Palestinian analysts said "it is a surprise" since 30 PLC members spoke during the session that they would vote against the new cabinet.

The analysts said that the victory that Arafat achieved in the PLC "would give him more energy until the presidential and parliamentary elections are held by January 20 next year.

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