Palestinians Approve New Prime Minister Post

The new position is part of a set of reforms outlined by the United States, Europe and Israel.

The U.S. and Israel have pushed for the appointment of Abbas, who was Arafat’s second-in-command in the Palestinian Liberation Organization and has become a cautious critic of the Palestinian militant uprising, to help transfer power away from Arafat, whom they say is no longer a effective negotiating partner. President Bush has said the Palestinians must choose new leaders as a precondition for statehood.

The parliament approved the prime minister position by a vote of 64-3, with four abstentions. However details within the bill suggest that Arafat may not be willing to give up control of security talks with Israel. According to a 10-page draft bill obtained by the Associated Press, Arafat retains the power to fire the prime minister and remains the commander of the Palestinian security forces, while the prime minister is responsible for public order.

The prime minister “supervises the work of the ministers” and chairs weekly cabinet sessions, according to the draft. Palestinian cabinet minister Nabil Shaath said the 73-year-old Arafat intends to continue setting peacemaking policy.

Responding to the reports, U.N. envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen said a weak prime minister would be unacceptable to the “Quartet” of international peace mediators: the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

“We need now a prime minister who is credible and empowered, and that in simple terms means that Israel considers him as a credible partner and goes back to the table,” he told Israeli Army Radio.

“But in order to be a credible partner, this prime minister has to be empowered to negotiate,” he said.

Israel and the United States have refused to negotiate with Arafat, charging that he has been ineffective at stopping militant attacks against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ruled out peace talks with the Palestinians until the ongoing 29-month streak of violence comes to an end, but he has met with Abbas.

Abbas, who is widely known as Abu Mazen, was one of the original founders of the Palestinian Fatah movement along with Arafat. He was born in the Galilee area in 1935 and became a refugee after the creation of Israel in 1948. He earned a law degree in Damascus and a doctorate in history from the Moscow Oriental College.