RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) policy-making Central Council Saturday, March 8, approved unanimously the appointment of PLO number-two Mahmud Abbas to become the first Palestinian Prime Minister.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat repeated his offer to Mahmud Abbas, known as Abu Mazen, to become the first Palestinian Premier.

"I hope that Abu Mazen (Abbas) will accept the post of Prime Minister," Arafat said during a meeting of the PLO’s Central Council that was reviewing the Palestinian leader's proposal to create the position.

"I implore you to agree to the appointment of Abu Mazen," he added in his remarks to the Council, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

However, Abu Mazen, Secretary General of the PLO executive committee, has said his eventual acceptance will depend on whether the job is purely ceremonial or actually has some teeth to it, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported Saturday.

He told the daily in an interview he would not accept what he called a "formal" job.

After Arafat offered him the job on Thursday, Abbas indicated he would only accept the position if his authority were significant enough.

Abu Mazen, told the daily he would delay his final decision until after the "tasks and prerogatives" of the new post are clarified by the PLO's Central Council and by the Palestinian parliament.

"We must wait until the principle of (creating) a prime ministerial post is approved by (the council and the parliament) and know what the tasks and prerogatives are," he was quoted as saying.

Saying he was waiting to see whether the job was "real or formal," he made it clear he would refuse the offer it "does not come with prerogatives."

Creation of the post and a delineation of its duties are to be hammered out by the PLO Central Committee and the Palestinian Legislative Council (parliament) between Saturday and Wednesday.

Palestinian officials told Asharq al-Awsat Arafat would "issue Tuesday or Wednesday a presidential decree appointing Abu Mazen" as Prime Minister.

Abu Mazen does not enjoy wide support among Palestinians but is a seasoned politician, co-founder with Arafat of the PLO's mainstream Fatah movement and a prominent figure in the agreement of the 1993 Oslo partial peace accords.

For his part, the head of the PLO's political bureau, Faruq Qaddumi, dismissed plans to create the post, saying it diverted attention from the real issues.

It "is not a step taken as part of reform efforts but a diversion, to make Palestinian or international public opinion believe that the ball is in the Palestinian camp," Qaddumi told the pan-Arab Al-Hayat daily.

The real issue, said Qaddumi, is the Israeli occupation.

PLO central council president Selim al-Zaanun said that once the post is approved by the council, Arafat "will propose the future prime minister's scope of competence to the Palestinian Legislative Council," on Monday.