Arafat extends term of Palestinian government

PRESIDENT Yasser Arafat extended the term of a Palestinian emergency government yesterday in a sign he expected a power struggle with his prime minister to delay creation of a new cabinet.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie’s 30-day mandate had been due to expire at midnight. He had been expected to announce by then the lineup of a new, more permanent government considered crucial to reviving peace moves with Israel.

But in a clear indication the two leaders were having trouble agreeing on new ministers, an aide of Mr Arafat, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said the president had asked Qurie “to continue with his work and to consider the current cabinet as a caretaker until a new cabinet is formed.”

Failure to meet the deadline could deepen the Palestinians’ political crisis and hold up renewed high-level talks proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon aimed at restarting a stalled, US-backed “road map” to peace.

Mr Arafat and Mr Qurie have been locked in a struggle over the division of security powers.

Mr Arafat opposes Mr Qurie’s nomination of General Nasser Yousef as interior minister with control over the security forces, authority which the Palestinian president has been reluctant to cede.

Mr Qurie’s predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, resigned in September following a dispute with Mr Arafat over security control, which is vital for reining in militants as required by the “road map.”

After meeting his small emergency cabinet, Mr Qurie gave no clear indication of whether he expected to have his new cabinet lineup ready in time, though he insisted he would seek parliamentary approval next week.

“A session for the Palestinian Legislative Council will convene next week for a confidence vote,” Mr Qurie told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hassan Abu Libdeh, director of Mr Qurie’s office, said earlier the prime minister wanted his Interior Ministry to have strong security credentials, as his first order of business would be to persuade militants to halt attacks on Israelis.

Efforts to revive the “road map” peace plan, sponsored by a Quartet comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, depend in part on Mr Qurie forming a stable government after months of Palestinian infighting.

Mr Arafat had named Mr Qurie, a longtime ally, as prime minister in early October after Mr Abbas resigned, saying the Palestinian president and Israel had obstructed him and Washington had not given him enough support.

By forming a permanent government, Mr Qurie would meet a key demand of the “road map,” which calls for Palestinian political reforms and a crackdown on militant attacks on Israel.

Despite the obstacles Mr Qurie faces, Israel sounded a note of cautious optimism about the prospects for renewing dialogue.

Mr Sharon was quoted as telling reporters in Moscow, where he had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he hoped to see a new Palestinian leadership that could “act with us to honestly implement the road map.”

The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported yesterday there had also been growing co-operation between the Shin Bet security agency and Palestinian security services to prevent attacks in Israel.