Arafat considering billionaire as Prime Minister

Yasser Arafat is considering Monib al-Masri, a Palestinian billionaire with no apparent political ambitions, for the job of prime minister, an associate of the West Bank businessman said.

The front-runner for the job has been Arafat’s deputy in the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas, and the appointment of al-Masri, a long-time friend of the Palestinian leader, would be seen as an upset.