Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas addressed parliament in Ramallah Thursday in a speech that was to conclude his first 100 days in office.
He addressed parliament in pursuit for support and told lawmakers he would not launch a crackdown on armed Palestinian groups.
Abbas blamed Israel for the deadlock in peace efforts and stated Washington had done too little to stop raids by the Israeli army. "We say again that we will continue our attempts to bring calm in preparation for the resumption of the political path," Abbas said in his speech.
Abbas told the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) he would continue talks with Palestinian factions rather than launching a campaign to disarm and dismantle them, as Israel has been continuously demanding.
"This government does not deal with the opposition groups with the policing mentality, but the mentality of dialogue," he made clear.
Meanwhile, in what appeared to be a heated demonstration outside the parliament building, some 200 activists in Arafat's Fatah movement vowed to defend the Palestinian leader.
Abbas, in his speech, also addressed the rift between himself and Palestinian leader Arafat, which seems to have been on the rise. Abbas said there had been a "malfunction" between some authorities that needs to be addressed, but that the dispute "should not be an incentive to polarization" that serves "personal agendas."
He appeared to attribute the dispute to growing pains, claiming, "The reason (for the dispute) is that we had a status quo for a long time."
Moreover, Abbas called for Palestinian unity. He said Palestinians should maintain a unified national front, and that the Palestinians need to have only one legislative power.
In addition, Abbas called Arafat the "constitutional leader and historic leader" of the Palestinian people, and said, "I believe that the siege of President Arafat is hurting our national dignity."
Abbas asked parliament to back him, saying that otherwise there can be no progress on a U.S.-backed peace plan. He added he would not put up a fight to keep his job, which he described as an impossible mission. "You either provide the resources of power and support those things... or you take it back," Abbas said.
Additionally, Abbas announced in his speech the appointment of Saeb Erekat as chief of the negotiations and contacts with Israel and the United States.
No-confidence vote
Earlier, a Palestinian minister has reiterated that the PLC session would be an ordinary one, with no intention of introducing a no- confidence vote against Abbas. A Fatah leader told Al Bawaba that the dispute between Arafat and Abbas has been exaggerated, indicating that outstanding issues are well on their way to getting resolved.
Abdul Fattah Hamayleh, a Palestinian Minster, told Al Bawaba “the PLC’s session would be an ordinary one…and won’t be different from other sessions; bearing in mind the agenda [of the session] has already been prepared beforehand. The Prime Minister will be submitting a report on the first 100 days of his government.”
The minister suggested that Abu Mazen’s address would include issues such as security, economic, social and political as well as other issues that ought to be referred to the PLC. “Each concerned member in the council will prepare their own report and response [to Abu Mazen’s address]. My appointment as Minister of Sport will also be presented to the council for endorsement,” Hamayleh said.
He went on to say that the session would then be adjourned and a date for a new one is expected to be set for the beginning of next week. The various members would then present their comments on the government’s report at that session. “The most important thing to note is that Thursday’s session won’t include a vote of no-confidence.” he said.
For his part, Fatah leader Qaddoura Fares told Al Bawaba, “Abu Mazen will present the achievements of his government after his first 100 days…the no-confidence vote shall not be introduced - at least in this session anyway.”
He also revealed that Fatah held a meeting Wednesday evening that was attended by both Arafat and Abu Mazen. According to Fares, “most of the alleged points of difference between the two leaders have never existed to begin with. Arafat and the PLO have accepted all of Abu Mazen’s conditions, including Abu Mazen’s request to form a negotiating committee,” he said.
Thursday’s PLC session comes amid tension and struggle between Arafat and Abu Mazen, while statements by US officials have confirmed that Washington would not allow the fall of Abu Mazen’s government. Meanwhile, the Fatah Youth (part of the Fatah Movement) has issued a statement blasting Abu Mazen while drawing parallels between his government and Iraq’s Interim Governing Council as the latter had been appointed by the Americans. The statement also called for demonstrations against Abu Mazen’s government during his address before the PLC Thursday.
In his comments, Hamayel said, “I do not want to say the situation is normal, as the stories about differences between Arafat and Abu Mazen are correct. However, any foreign intervention in this dispute is unacceptable regardless of whom they are. The PLC does not accept any intervention, and I believe that the Palestinian [government] institutions are mature and responsible enough to take decisions that serve the best interest of the Palestinians.”
He added, “We cannot prevent foreign intervention, but we believe that the PLC and the other Palestinian institutions are capable of taking their decisions regardless of any outside pressure. We welcome any advice and effort from other parties, including those from friendly governments; however we will not accept any intervention that could undermine our sovereignty and decision making.”
As far as the Fatah Youth statement is concerned, Hamayel said, “I think we should overcome this crisis and understand that Arafat and Abu Mazen need to work together. One should be skeptical of any statement or call for action that goes against this principle as it is irresponsible and not in the interest of the Palestinian cause.”
In the same context, it has been noted that there are many different branches in Fatah who have differing political direction. Additionally, such a statement could have been released without top approval. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
