Arafat/Abbas struggle over new Cabinet

Yasser Arafat and his prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas remained at loggerheads today over the composition of the new Palestinian Cabinet.

All-night negotiations failed to reach a compromise, and the crisis was described as the most serious ever between the two.

The dispute threatens to torpedo a US-backed “road map” to full Palestinian statehood within three years.

Abbas, who must win parliamentary approval for his Cabinet by Wednesday, has threatened to resign if his team is not accepted.

The US, in turn, has said it will only present the peace plan once Abbas and his Cabinet have been installed.

The main dispute is over the appointment of Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief.

Abbas wants to give Dahlan a key security post, while Arafat wants to keep a confidant, Hani al-Hassan, in the job.

The new security chief would have to supervise a crackdown against Palestinian militants, a prerequisite for moving ahead with the internationally-backed peace plan.

The “road map” is supported by the so-called Quartet of Mideast negotiators - the US, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

They have demanded Arafat reform his corruption-plagued regime before moving ahead with the plan for peace.

On Saturday, Abbas stormed out of a meeting with Arafat after the Palestinian leader refused to support Dahlan’s inclusion in the Cabinet. Israel and the US back Dahlan, who has said he is confident he can bring the militants to heel.

Hassan does not have much international support, and as interior minister over the past few months have not succeeded in halting terrorist attacks against Israelis.

But the wrangling is over more than Cabinet appointments.

If Abbas prevails, it would suggest he can pursue an independent policy. If Arafat wins the fight, it would mean Abbas will be little more than a figurehead.

Dahlan has offered to give up the security post to defuse the tensions, but Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is apparently insisting on his appointment.

Abbas and Arafat have not met since Saturday, but their aides have been holding marathon talks, including an all-night session that ended early today without reaching a breakthrough, officials said.