(Ha'aretz) The Palestinian parliament approved the planned appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister, but the new position was vested with only limited powers, which could indicate Yasser Arafat remained in charge. A senior U.S. official responded that the administration wanted to be sure a newly appointed Palestinian prime minister would have authority over security and peacemaking. That would involve not only sidestepping Arafat but also being able to stop attacks on Israel.
2003-03-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive