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Middle East |
Yasser sez he'll appoint a Prime Minister |
2003-02-14 |
I'll believe this when it happens. Yasser Arafat agreed to appoint a He can run what's left of the PA and still keep a day job at the mortar factory. The news came against the backdrop of a new round of talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials. The appointment of a prime minister is one of the provisions in the "roadmap", a peace plan drawn up by what has become known as the Middle East "quartet" – the US, Russia, the EU and the United Nations. "The letter said, for the first time, that Arafat accepts the roadmap without reservations, and he accepts all the steps outlined in the roadmap, including that he appoint a prime minister," an anonymous Palestinian official was quoted as saying yesterday. He'll honor the roadmap just as well as he honored the Oslo accord. Mr Arafat may have felt pressured into accepting a prime minister. The US and Israeli governments have been Not that they're actually capable of doing something remotely resembling a democratic process. Since the Israeli elections last month, there has been renewed talk of the Israeli army forcibly expelling Mr Arafat from the Occupied Territories. His expulsion was discussed often last year – Mr Sharon was said to favour it, and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Minister, was a vocal supporter. On the other hand, keeping him in Ramallah keeps him exactly where they can find him, and lets them see who he talks to, and who he meets. The "roadmap" calls for the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a peace deal, and calls for an end to the violence and Palestinian reform as steps along the way. Both the Palestinians and Israelis have expressed reservations. Ariel Sharon was recently quoted as dismissing the plan and the Israeli government has emphasised that it is committed to President Bush's speech calling for a "two-state solution", rather than the "roadmap". But Mr Sharon, whose personal enmity towards Mr Arafat is well known, and who has insisted there can be no new peace negotiations until Mr Arafat is replaced as Palestinian leader, did say last month that he would settle You don't say! Secondly, there is no obvious candidate for the job. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported yesterday that the US is pushing for Salam Fayyad, the new Palestinian Finance Minister, to become prime minister. "Please don't kill me!" Mr Fayyad won praise from international diplomats for his efforts to reform the Palestinian economy and rein in corruption. He is regarded as talented and honest. But it is not clear whether he would have sufficient support among Palestinians or a power base within the PA. Nor is it clear he would want the job. "Whew! They didn't kill me today!" |
Posted by:Steve White |
#3 ( Arafat in best dr. evil voice) Its a Raelian clone I had made for just such an occasion I call him "mini-me". whereupon a 3 foot tall ringo starr looking fellow dressed in a minature bus drivers uniform hops up into yassers lap. |
Posted by: Frank Martin 2003-02-14 16:36:23 |
#2 Figure also that the IDF severed landline phones to his HQ so that they can intercept any and all cell/sat calls. Might even have bugs in the babywipes? ewwwwww |
Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-14 12:56:28 |
#1 Figurehead. Perfect for Yasshole. He can do even less then he does now. He's probably all for it, just as long as he's allowed to keep his fingers in the till. |
Posted by: tu3031 2003-02-14 08:51:10 |