Arafat reportedly bowed to pressure from the quartet

" Arafat has been under huge pressure from the United States to appoint a Prime Minister – and the letter, sent to Blair before his talks with George Bush in Washington last month, was apparently intended to be passed on to President Bush. Both the U.S. and Israeli governments are refusing to speak to Arafat”, the Independent reported Friday, February14.

The British daily pointed out that the idea of a Palestinian prime minister was floated as a way of getting round Israel's refusal to deal with Arafat, and Bush's call for Arafat to be replaced as Palestinian leader. The idea is that Arafat will be "kicked upstairs" to a symbolic role as Palestinian leader with a Prime Minister taking over the day-to-day running of what is left of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and negotiations with the Israelis.

The news came against the backdrop of a new round of talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials. The appointment of a Prime Minister is one of the provisions in the "roadmap", a peace plan drawn up by what has become known as the Middle East "quartet" – the U.S., Russia, the EU and the United Nations.

"The letter said, for the first time, that Arafat accepts the roadmap without reservations, and he accepts all the steps outlined in the roadmap, including that he appoint a Prime Minister," the Independent quoted an anonymous Palestinian official as saying.

“Arafat may have felt pressured into accepting a Prime Minister. The U.S. and Israeli governments have been trying to marginalize him and his popularity among Palestinians is at a low ebb. Many Palestinians say the only reason they support him as Palestinian leader is because Bush called for him to be replaced. They say it's up to them to choose their leader, not President Bush.” The paper clarified.

Stressing the same message, The Guardian reported that The appointment of a Prime Minister is an important prerequisite for the resumption of peace talks with the Israelis. At present Israel and the U.S. refuse to negotiate with Arafat, accusing him of complicity in armed resistance, or what they both term as “terrorism”.

The daily quoted one of Arafat’s aides as saying that Arafat had always intended to appoint a Prime Minister, but refused to make such decisions when he was placed under siege by Israeli forces last year. "Arafat was against the whole atmosphere in which the matter was raised. The Israeli occupation was the problem then and it remains the main problem now.”

Sharon, whose personal enmity towards Arafat is well known, told a U.S. weekly magazine in an interview with him Saturday Jan.19 regarding peace plan of the so-called quartet, that the quartet is nothing, adding there was “another plan” that will work .

Sharon’s plan, consisting of several phases, he claims will bear fruit. ''First, Arafat should be removed from an influential position,'' he told the Newsweek reporter, ''Secondly, a prime minister should be appointed. Third, reforms should be undertaken, mostly in the security organizations.'' .