Palestinians sideline Arafat to seal prime minister position

THE Palestinian parliament yesterday gave final approval to a bill defining the role of a future prime minister and rebuffed attempts by Yasser Arafat to dilute the authority of the new post.

Mr Arafat has been wrangling with an increasingly assertive parliament over giving some of his sweeping powers to a prime minister.

Ahead of yesterday's parliament session, he dropped a demand to retain a say over appointing Cabinet ministers. His defeat in that dispute signalled a further weakening of his influence a process that began about a year ago amid growing dissatisfaction among Palestinians with his leadership.