Palestinian cabinet set to take office ( 2003-11-12 08:56) (Agencies)
Palestinian Prime Minister
Ahmed Qurie's cabinet takes office Wednesday, clearing the way for him to
negotiate a truce with militants and hold talks with Israel on implementing a
U.S.-backed peace plan.
Barring any last minute hitches, the 26 cabinet ministers will be sworn in by
President Yasser Arafat after the Palestinian Legislative Council approves
the line-up in a session in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"Once the government gets a confidence vote...the focus will be on reviving
the peace process with Israel," Saeb Erekat, slated to be a cabinet minister,
told Reuters. "This government will focus on maintaining the rule of law and
ending chaos."
The formation of the new cabinet will end a political crisis that has
embroiled the Palestinian Authority since September, when Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas resigned after failing to wrest powers over security forces from
Arafat.
It will enable the Palestinian Authority to start dealing with the
implementation of the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace which calls for militant
groups to be reined in and disarmed and for Israel to freeze settlement building
on occupied territory.
The ultimate aim is a Palestinian state by 2005.
But it is not clear whether Qurie -- who headed an emergency cabinet
established after Abbas resigned -- will be able to take steps toward tackling
militant groups involved in a three-year-old Palestinian uprising.
Qurie will be a weaker prime minister than Abbas as most of his cabinet
ministers are Arafat loyalists, and he will face the prospect of Arafat wielding
continued clout over the security forces through a National Security Council
which he heads.
ISRAEL, U.S. TO GIVE QURIE A
CHANCE
Israel and the United States have accused Arafat of fomenting "terror" -- a
charge he denies -- and demanded he be sidelined. But both countries appear to
have resigned themselves to giving Qurie's cabinet a change before passing
judgment.
"This is a grace period only," a senior Israeli government source said.
Contacts are already under way to prepare a meeting between Qurie and Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Although Qurie has said he would only meet with the
Israeli leader if Sharon agrees in advance to take steps to revive frozen peace
talks.
Washington has retreated from its position that a prime minister must control
all Palestinian security forces and said it would judge the new cabinet on its
success at reining in militants behind a suicide bombing campaign against
Israel.
Some Palestinians have expressed concern the new government will put an end
to their hopes it would carry out sweeping reforms and end corruption in the
Palestinian Authority.
"The cabinet is mostly made of old faces, who did not make things look much
good in the Palestinian territories in the past and I do not think they have the
desire to do so now," said shop owner Basim Diazada in the Gaza Strip.
