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July 21, 2004
Palestinian MPs Demand Arafat Move on Reform

REUTERS: Palestinian MPs Demand Arafat Move on Reform

The Palestinian parliament Wednesday urged President Yasser Arafat to accept his prime minister's resignation and appoint a government empowered to carry out reforms and halt a descent into anarchy.

Unprecedented unrest against a Palestinian Authority widely seen as corrupt, resistant to reform and out of touch spurred Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie to resign, touching off a leadership crisis that some fear could turn into civil war.

Lawmakers at a crisis session voted 43-4 for a resolution calling on Arafat to accept Qurie's resignation, which would dissolve his cabinet, and appoint a government "capable of carrying out its responsibilities" -- a veiled demand to endow it with powers to impose law and order.

Qurie, who quit Saturday only to be told by Arafat to stay in office, is frustrated with his lack of power to make public institutions, above all a muddle of security agencies riven by feuding and cronyism, more democratic and accountable.

International mediators regard such reforms as critical to reducing violence in the Palestinian conflict with Israel and salvaging a "road map" peace plan promising Palestinians a state in Israeli-occupied territories.

Posted by Laurence Simon at July 21, 2004 12:17 PM | TrackBack
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