A smooth transfer in the rule in succession of Arafat
Succession of the late Palestinian President was arranged quickly for the presidency of the PLO, presidency of the Fatah movement and the presidency of the Palestinian Authority. Since Wednesday, the PLO executive committee, the highest Palestinian political representation for the Fatah movement inside and outside Palestine chose former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas ( Abu mazin ) for its presidency in a meeting in Ramullah.
Due to his post, Abbas will assume the file of negotiations with Israel stopped since January 2001 and contacts with the Palestinian groups. Abu Mazin (69 year old) was an opposition for the "militarization of the Intifada" and one of the main persons of the self-rule agreements signed by the PLO with Israel in 1993.
Meantime, Farouk Kaddoumi, the chairman of the PLO political department was chosen as a chairman for the Fatah movement, one of the main PLO groups, by the movement's central committee during a meeting for it in Ramullah.
One Palestinian official said that Kaddoumi was elected for the chairmanship of the movement in a voting carried out by the movement's central committee in Ramullah hours after the death of Arafat.
Officially Kaddoumi was the second ranking man in Fatah. He was one of its founder but lost much of his power in recent years because of his opposition for the Oslo agreement. Besides his stay in Tunis made of him away from the center of authority and decision making in the Palestinian territories.
Throughout his political process, Kaddoumi ( Abu al-Lutf) maintained remarkable relations with Damascus where he wins great respect from the Syrian officials "because of his seriousness and firm stances," according to his associates. The sources said that Abu al-Lutf tried to limit the differences inside the Fatah movement as he put the "Palestinian unity above any other consideration" and he had been dignified in the lines of the opposition Palestinian groups including Fatah Movement.
On the other hand, the speaker of the Palestinian legislative council Rouhi Fattouh took his constitutional oath before the legislative council as an Interim President for the Palestinian Authority for 60 days, according to the Palestinian law. During this 60 day period, free and direct elections are expected to elect for a new President. It is not known whether the Palestinians will organize such elections and whether Israel will permit its organization.
The Palestinian legislative council had opened its emergency session by one minute of silence mourning President Arafat. Fattouh said before the council "I swear to God Almighty to be faithful to the homeland and to the national heritage of people and their shrines and to honor the constitution and fully maintain the interests of the Palestinian people. And God is a witness on what I have said." On the other hand, prime minister Ahmad Qurei and Rouhi Fattouh are expected to share responsibility over the security departments which use to be under Arafat's sole control. Qurei runs the daily affairs of the Palestinian authority.