Palestinian liberation front accuses US of assassinating Abu al-Abbas; calls for international investigation

The Palestine Liberation front has accused the USA of assassinating its secretary general, Muhammad Abbas ( Abu al-Abbas), who was announced dead on Tuesday in an American detention center in Iraq, while the PLO called for the formation of an "international investigation committee " to shedd light on conditions behind his death.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday and one Palestinian authority official announced in Ramullah the death of Abu al-Abbas who was detained by the occupation forces several days after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003.

In a statement issued by the Palestinian news agency (WAFA), the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian leadership eulogized Abu al-Abbas, former member of the executive committee and the secretary general of the Palestine liberation front. The statement added "the Palestinian leadership sees off a great militant, a nationalist who dedicated his life to serve his people and homeland." On the other hand, the representative of the PLO in Baghdad Muhammad Subhi said " we demand the formation of an international investigation committee to find out the real reasons of the death of Abu al-Abbas." He added the "reasons brought up by the Americans in the conditions of Abu al-Abbas death are convincing for us." He expressed his wonder over the "sudden death" because the recent messages the front got form Abu al-Abbas via the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC were all confirming " he is in a good health condition, personal needs and he hoped his detention conditions to be improved."

Subhi said that Abu al-Abbas was suffering heart problems and he had a surgery operation two years before in Baghdad where he used to live. Subhi gave no details of getting the body of Abu al-Abbas because there is no "contact with the Americans," but he stressed that contacts with them ( the Americans ) will be made through the ICRC."