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| Middle East | |
| Yasser scuttles cabinet talks | |
| 2003-04-22 | |
The vital Palestinian reform process seems as if it reached a dead-end as Palestinian prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen (Abu Mazen) said that, "Things have broken down between me and Arafat. I will not come back." Talks stalled late Saturday, April 19, with Abbas walking out and threatening to quit. Parliamentary speaker Ahmed Qorei had been sent to meet Abbas to try to persuade him to come back to the talks, but one parliamentarian told AFP that the chances of bridging the gap between the two Fatah co-founders was "very, very weak."
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| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #4 Good take from LGF (Ha'aretz article): Most reports have focused on Abu Mazen's plan to make Mohammed Dahlan, the Gazan strongman and former head of the Preventive Security Services in the Gaza Strip, head of the new government's security services. However, Palestinian sources said the dispute actually revolves around the premier-designate's plans for establishing a new PA security policy, and whether he must win Arafat's approval for every decision he makes. The sources said Abu Mazen's plans to disarm the underground armed wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and how he will confront Hamas and Islamic Jihad are at the heart of the dispute. Abu Mazen insists that he be granted sole authority over the disarming of armed factions, while Arafat rejects the demand, fearing that the disarming of the Al Aqsa Brigades would lead to a civil war. The two also have not reached an agreement as to how to deal with the other armed factions. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-22 15:42:55 |
| #3 It's a pathetic state of affairs too, when we have only someone at the level of Abbas to counter Arafat...he's not much better. His proposed security chief, Mo Dahlan, is nothing but a more disciplined thug than the Al-Aqsa, Hamas, and IJ lunatics. The Paleos need an internal house-cleaning badly, and that can't be imposed on them, they have to want it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-22 15:30:33 |
| #2 Arrafat is a totalitarian dictator, and refuses to share power with anyone. The United States is setting the PA up for a total drubbing. Either the Paleostineans learn to truly NEGOTIATE, instead of just demand, followed by another wave of suicide bombings, or they're going to find themselves in the same situation as the Children of Israel following Moses: spending 40 years in the Wilderness of Sinai. Frankly, I think that's what it's going to take to make any lasting peace in Israel. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-22 13:55:24 |
| #1 " how much you want for that carpet" "$2000" "outrageous. im walking away, im not coming back" "er, $1500" "ok, im back. $1000 and not a penny more" etc |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-22 11:53:07 |