|
Palestinians Begin Election Process
Palestinians formally opened the campaign for a successor to Yasser Arafat on Saturday as candidates for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority began seeking signatures to qualify for the Jan. 9 ballot. Candidates have 12 days to submit their paperwork for the landmark election, which is being held amid hopes for a revival of the peace process in the Middle East. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other diplomats are traveling to the region next week seeking to revive the stalled "road map" peace plan. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia discussed the upcoming meetings with U.S. envoy David Pearce on Saturday. Qureia has said he would seek assurances from Powell that the original timetable President Bush stipulated in the road map plan will be honored. The Palestinians want statehood by 2005 and claim that the four-year time plan mentioned by Bush earlier this month could lead to an Israeli land grab. "We'll tell him that the four years' time that was mentioned by President Bush to establish a Palestinian state will encourage the Israeli government to continue stealing our lands to build settlements and the wall," Qureia told a Palestinian journalist on Friday. "It is very dangerous." Posted by: Fred 2004-11-20 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=49314 |