Dahlan, al-Rajjoub two candidates for Palestinian government, People's Front refrain to join
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 3/24/2003

Israeli reports talked about an agreement between the designated Israeli prime minister Mahmoud Abbas ( Abu Mazin) and Washington that calls for postponing the announcement of the so-called "roadmap" until after the formation of the Palestinian government and the end of the war against Iraq

Meantime, the Israeli forces continued to invest the world's preoccupation in the American war against Iraq in order to escalate its aggressions against the Palestinians. As a result, two Palestinians were killed and five wounded in Israeli incursions in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Israeli daily Haaretz said that Washington has reached a secret agreement with Abu Mazin to postpone announcing the "roadmap" for the creation of a Palestinian state until after the formation of the Palestinian government and assuming its responsibilities and might be until after the end of the war against Iraq.

American sources told the paper that Abu Mazin wants to replace the ministers of the Interior and Justice in the current Palestinian government, Hani al-Hassan, and Zuheir al-Sourani, two supporters of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

The sources added that it is expected Abu Mazin to keep in his ministry both the ministers of planning and information Nabil Shaath and Yasser Abd Rabbu. The sources continued that Washington believes that the important post is that of the Interior which supervises the finance and security. Salam Fayyad is expected to keep the ministry of finance.

The paper said that the Americans expect Abu Mazin to include to the government Muhammad Dahlan and Jibril al-Rajjoub who are supervising the two departments of preventive security in Gaza and the West Bank.

Sources at the office of the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said that the latter had reached an agreement with the White House enabling Israel to put its notes and reservations regarding the "roadmap" before its publications.

Reports said that Abu Mazin is discussing the possibility of appointing Dahlan as a minister of the Interior.

For its part, the People's Front For the Liberation of Palestine, said a delegation representing it met with Abu Mazin and apologized from joining the new government.

Previous Stories:
  Israeli bulldozer kill American activist defending a Palestinian home   (3/17/2003)
  UN protests latest Israeli military assault on UN-managed school in gaza   (3/13/2003)
  UN dismayed by indiscriminate shooting of schoolgirl by Israeli forces   (3/4/2003)

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