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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Fatah demands bigger slice of Palestinian govt
2010-04-28
No, this isn't the Paleo government headed by ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas, nor is it the government of Hamastan. This is the government of the Paleo parliament, and I can't figure out what these guys do other than spend money and try to stay alive.
West Bank - Leading members of the dominant Palestinian movement Fatah are demanding more power in the Palestinian Authority cabinet of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Fatah officials said on Tuesday.

“We are calling for a reshuffle of the key ministries,' said Amin Maqboul, secretary general of Fatah's Revolutionary Council. He was speaking to Reuters after four days of closed-door meetings in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The Council wants to turn the interior affairs, finance and foreign affairs portfolios currently held by Fayyad loyalists over to Fatah members, officials said. Fatah has 11 seats in the 21-member caretaker cabinet led by Fayyad, a technocratic independent who has incurred the envy of many Fatah activists.

Fayyad was appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas at a time when the West was pressing for reform in what was widely seen as a corruption-riddled administration. He promoted a policy of transparency welcomed by Western aid donors.

Senior Fatah official Mahmoud al-Aloul said Abbas, who leads Fatah “also wants a reshuffle and he has no objection' to the Council's demands. But there was no immediate confirmation from the presidency.

Minister of Labour Ahmad Majdalani said Fayyad had already asked Abbas for cabinet changes to replace non-performing ministers. He is pressing ahead with an ambitious programme to build the institutions of the Palestinian state which he expects to complete in 2011.

“There is a previous agreement between the president and the prime minister on the reshuffle,' Majdalani told Reuters. “He cannot continue with his work with the current staff.'

A close confidant of Fayyad said the premier would not mind Fatah taking any post except finance, which he holds and which is off-limits.

“They know that they cannot get the ministry of finance and Fayyad may quit if they insist on taking it. I don't think things will go that far,' this source said.

Fayyad, a former World Bank economist, has a very small political power base. He has gained prominence for a pragmatic policies to improve the economy and the infrastructure of the occupied West Bank, and popularity for his grassroots approach.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  "Slicing Palestinian Government", sounds good.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2010-04-28 15:35  

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