Abbas, Arafat Settle Their Dispute

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Abbas, Arafat Settle Their Dispute

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Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas had threatened to resign unless Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement backed his handling of contacts with Israel. The two met late Monday, and organizers said they resolved their differences.

In a reflection of the power struggle within the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat said Arafat and Abbas agreed that "the Palestinian leadership is in charge of peace talks with Israel." That leadership is controlled by Arafat, and the agreement meant that Abbas recognized that he is not a free agent in dealing with Israel.

Erekat, who helped organize the meeting, said Abbas had told Arafat to "back me or sack me... And since President Arafat was the one who chose Abu Mazen (Abbas) in the first place, he told him that he will give him and his government all the support."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday that his country would continue dealing with Arafat, who was elected the leader of the Palestinian Authority in 1996.

In Budapest, Hungary, Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath called Arafat a "historical national hero" and criticized Sharon's attempts to persuade European leaders to sideline the Palestinian president. Shaath said that Arafat was the only one who could "push this peace process to success."

Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs also aid Hungary would not boycott Arafat.

Tensions boiled over last week when Arafat's allies criticized Abbas' handing of contacts with the Israelis, especially over demands that Israel release an estimated 7,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has offered to free only a few hundred, and critics accused Abbas of being too soft.

Abbas has been Arafat's deputy in the PLO for many years, but their relationship has been rocky. Abbas has resigned a number of times, but always returned to his post.

On Tuesday, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met Abbas and Arafat at Arafat's Ramallah compound. Egyptian security officials have played a key mediating role in obtaining the truce from Palestinian militant groups, and Erekat said the meeting would focus on the next steps in the road map.

Source: Agencies

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