Palestinians may broker end to deadlock

Palestinian prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas arrived at Yasser Arafat’s West Bank headquarters this afternoon – signalling a possible end to a deadlock over the composition of the Palestinian Cabinet.

Abbas was accompanied by a mediator, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Also arriving at Arafat’s compound was Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza strongman, who has been tapped by Abbas for a key security post.

Abbas and Arafat had not spoken since Saturday, and Abbas’ arrival at the Arafat compound in Ramallah suggested that Suleiman succeeded in narrowing the gaps.

Arafat has bitterly opposed the appointment of Dahlan, but at the root of the conflict between him and Abbas appeared to be his resistance to sharing power.

The power struggle threatened to derail President George Bush’s peace “road map.”