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Abu Mazen became the all-out leader of the PLO
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Additional
Reporting By Abdul Raheem Ali, IOL Staff
RAMALLAH,
November 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A few hours
after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was officially declared dead
on Thursday, November, 11, former premier Mahmoud Abbas was elected
the new head of the PLO.
"Abu
Mazen (Abbas) has been appointed head of the PLO," said a source
in the Palestinian presidency's office.
The
widely-expected decision was confirmed at a meeting of the PLO's
decision-making executive committee in the West Bank town of Ramallah,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Abbas
has been acting as caretaker PLO leader since Arafat was admitted to a
French military hospital on October 29.
Meanwhile,
PLO politburo chief Farouq Qaddumi was appointed head of
Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian movement, official sources said.
The
decision was taken during a meeting of the PLO's executive committee,
which is dominated by Fatah, said a source in the Palestinian
presidency's office.
Qaddumi
has been a consistent opponent of the Oslo peace accords which ushered
in the Palestinian Authority and remained in exile after the rest of
the Palestinian leadership returned to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in
1984.
In
accordance with the Palestinian basic law, parliament speaker Rawhi
Fattuh will be sworn in as acting chairman of the Palestinian
Authority later Thursday.
The
three titles were all held by the veteran Palestinian leader who was officially
declared dead in the wee
hours of Thursday.
Due
Elections
The
PLO Executive Committee members agreed to call for elections to choose
a new president within 60 days, a well-informed Palestinian source told
IslamOnline.net.
Arab
and European countries agree on the need to hold elections
within 60 days, IOL learned.
The
source said the elections issue was not discussed during the PLO
meeting, adding that funeral preparations dominated discussions.
He
added that Abu Mazen was expected to head Thursday for Cairo to set
arrangements for Arafat’s funeral.
The
PLO has formed an official delegation to receive condolences on the
death of the Palestinian leader, the source said.
It
comprises Abu Mazen, Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, Fattuh, Qaddoumi,
Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (DFLP) Nayef Hawatma, PLO Executive committee members
Taysser Khaled and Bassam Salehi and the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) former secretary Jorg Habbash.
According
to the Palestinian source, the PLO factions reached an agreement with
the PA on appointing a Fatah leader as new PA chairman in return for
amending Palestinian laws to give a bigger role for the parliament.
