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| Middle East |
| Yasser refuses to ratify new government |
| 2003-04-14 |
| Palestinian Authority Chairman-for-Life Yasser Arafat has refused to endorse the new Palestinian cabinet formed by the incoming Palestinian premier Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinian sources said Arafat was displeased with a number of new ministers whom he viewed as too critical of his policies. "I mean, these guys're gonna make me feel... irrelevant." A meeting of the Fatah Executive Committee which was supposed to take place on Sunday for the purpose of endorsing the new cabinet was cancelled by Arafat. The sources said the meeting would still take place Tuesday or Wednesday if Abu Mazen made the changes demanded by Arafat. "Cheeze, Yasser! Okay. What do you demand?" "Chuck it." The composition of the 20-member cabinet includes some of Arafat's erstwhile critics. Abbas appointed the former Gaza Preventive Security Chief Muhammed Dahlan as minister of state for interior affairs. Dahlan was quoted as expressing confidence that he could put an end to guerrilla attacks against Israel. However, two former PA ministers, information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and local affairs minister Saeb Erekat, have refused to join the cabinet. Once the Palestinian cabinet is approved, possibly later this week, President Bush is expected to unveil a 'road map' to Palestinian state. But not before, which means not until... The Zionist regime has voiced serious reservations about the plan and dispatched a Sharon's aide to Washington to press the Bush Administration to take them into account. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
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| Posted by: someone 2003-04-14 23:20:08 |
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| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-14 22:33:36 |
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| Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire 2003-04-14 16:03:09 |
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| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-04-14 15:06:33 |
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| Posted by: john 2003-04-14 12:33:55 |
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| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-04-14 11:42:28 |