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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Arafat Concedes on New Prime Minister's Powers

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has given up the changes he made to a bill defining the powers of a new prime minister and the legislation will be adopted by parliament Tuesday, Palestinian sources said late Monday.


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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has given up the changes he made to a bill defining the powers of a new prime minister and the legislation will be adopted by parliament Tuesday, Palestinian sources said late Monday.

Addressing the members of the Palestinian Legislative Council(PLO) in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier Monday, Arafatintroduced two amendments to the bill of appointing a Palestinianprime minister.

The first amendment suggested appointing two deputies for theprime minister, and the second suggested vesting himself as thechairman of the Palestinian state, with the executive power.

Some Palestinian National Authority officials believed thatArafat wants the changes to include clauses stipulating that he bereferred to as the head of the executive body and the government,have the final say on hiring and firing ministers and have thechance to review a new cabinet before it is put to parliament.

Arafat, who moved the PLO session from the council building tohis headquarters in Ramallah, asked the deputies to ratify the newamendments to help achieve the aspired-after goals of thePalestinian people in establishing an independent state.

The United States and Israel want to sideline Arafat, who wasblamed for obstructing peace talks, and to see a new leadershipemerge.

Mahmud Abbas, or Abu Mazen, the No. 2 of the PalestineLiberation Organization (PLO), has been nominated as primeminister.


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