As Yasser Arafat chaired talks on the choice of a new prime minister, a close ally of his said the Palestinian president was likely to reappoint Mahmud Abbas.
"I think the likely option is that he will ask Prime Minister Abbas to form the government again," said Saeb Erekat on Sunday.
| Yeah. That makes sense. Not a lot of sense, but sense... |
The top Palestinian negotiator, Erakat also said Abbas' resignation was still unofficial because he had not yet submitted a formal letter. But Abbas himself tried to dampen down speculation on Sunday he might reconsider his decision. Asked whether he would accept the post again, he said: "Do I look stoopid? It's very premature to talk about this right now. My resignation is final." Abbas offered to resign on Saturday after failing to make headway with the US-backed peace plan known as the road map. He blamed Israel for undermining his position and accused the US of failing to make Israel comply with the road map. But he has also cited his inability to wrest sufficient powers from Arafat and hostility by some Palestinians towards him as reasons for his decision to step down.
| The death threats may have had something to do with it, too... |
However, Abbas' latest comments appeared to leave open the possibility of a reconciliation with Arafat in the future. "President Arafat has five options," said Erakat an interview with the BBC.- "Option number one is to accept the resignation, which he has not done yet because he (Abbas) has to send the written letter.
- "Secondly, he can reject the resignation.
| Rumor has it he's accepted it. That was the whole idea, after all... |
- "Thirdly, he can begin consultations, which he began last night.
| This is the "do nothing and look like you're busy" option... |
- "Fourthly ... he can accept the resignation and ask Abu Mazin (as Abbas is also known) to form the government again.
| Which makes no sense from either man's point of view, thereby making it the most likely... |
- "Fifthly, he may accept the resignation and ask somebody else.
| "Hello, Ahmed? Yasser. Say! What're you doing these days?" |
"I think President Arafat is weighing these options and I think the likely option is that he will ask Prime Minister Abbas to form the government again." Erakat stressed the Palestinian leadership was still interested in the US-backed road map. "We want to keep the American administration engaged, we want the quartet to revive its role in terms of maintaining the road map on the table."
| "I mean, we rejected it, spit on it, used it for toilet paper, but that doesn't mean we're not interested..." |
Erakat’s comments came as Arafat chaired a meeting of the central committee of his Fatah movement at what remains of his offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Fatah is the biggest bloc in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). Suddenly back at the centre of Palestinian politics despite Israeli and US attempts to sideline him, Arafat was then due to meet the executive committee of the PLO to discuss the appointment of a prime minister. |