Palestinians bid to break deadlock in cabinet position row
Failure by the two leaders to form a cabinet a self-imposed deadline expires tomorrow would delay presentation by the United States of a long-awaited "road map" towards Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Mr Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, wants former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan to become interior minister in charge of Palestinian security forces, which would be called on to crack down on militants under the US-backed peace blueprint.
But Mr Arafat, who reluctantly bowed to pressure from the US and other peace mediators to name a prime minister, has resisted Mr Dahlan's appointment and the widely perceived bid to loosen the presidential grip on security.
Mediators, such as cabinet minister Nabil Shaath, Arafat aide Tayyeb Abdel-Rahim and two other senior officials of his Fatah faction have been shuttling between Mr Arafat's office and Mr Abbas carrying a bridging proposal.
Palestinian officials said it called for naming Mr Dahlan to the cabinet, but as a minister without portfolio.
"It would include the option of Abu Mazen appointing him to the Interior Ministry post at a later date," said one official close to Mr Arafat.
"The mediation efforts are still under way. We expect brother Abu Mazen to present the cabinet in the coming 48 hours."
There was no immediate word from Mr Abbas, who has largely steered clear of the media since accepting the premiership on condition it came with real powers.
The official close to Mr Arafat said there would be no extension of the cabinet formation deadline, according to Palestinian law. "(Abbas) either expresses his regrets (and quits) or presents the cabinet on Wednesday," he said. Mr Abbas threatened to quit on Saturday over Mr Arafat's objection to Mr Dahlan.
The US has made presentation of the "road map", leading to a Palestinian state by 2005, conditional on the appointment of a new Palestinian government.
