Farouk Qaddoumi to return to Gaza

In exclusive statements to al-Ahram newspaper issued today, a Palestinian official announced that Farouk Qaddoumi, the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's political department and Mohammed Ghoniem the official for mobilization and regulation in the Fatah movement, the major PLO faction, have finally decided the return to the Palestinian territories from Tunisia.

The Palestinian official told al-Ahram the agreement for Qaddoumi and Ghoniem's return was decided after a four-hour meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat during the latter's recent visit to the Tunisia capital and after the protection of their responsibilities (office positions) from inside the Palestinian territories.

Arafat authorized both Mohmoud Abass, the secretary of the executive committee for the PLO and Ahmed Qorei, the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council to hold special communications and arrangements with the Israeli side for the return of the two Palestinian leaders.