Arafat advisor denied Qrei's resignation

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, special advisor to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, denied that the designated prime minister Ahmad Qrei had submitted his resignation.

In a press statement Abu Rudeineh said that Qrei still enjoys the full confidence of the Palestinian President Arafat.

In the first American reaction to Qrei's resignation, US State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that he cannot confirm this resignation, noting that Washington is following events closely and contacting sides concerned via its embassy in Tel Aviv and the US Consulate in Jerusalem.

In Brussels the chairman of the European Commission Romani Prodi said that Qrei's resignation will be a negative contribution in the Middle east peace process.

The foreign policy coordinator in the European Union Javier Solana said on Thursday in Brussels that Qrei's situation is not clear, expressing hope he will stay in his post.

In New York, Syria had officially asked the UN security council to convene an open meeting in order to discuss the question of the security wall being constructed by Israel along the West Bank. The Syrian proposal will be discussed today in a close door meeting.

US ambassador to the UN John Negroponte who assumes the president of the Security Council for this month said that Syria had also proposed a draft resolution to this effect.

The statement says that the security wall separating between the Israelis and the Palestinians is illegal, according to international law and asked for halting its construction.