(Ha'aretz) Arnon Regular - A reconciliation meeting Thursday between Mohammed Dahlan and Yasser Arafat in Ramallah will not lead to an immediate return to government for Dahlan. Dahlan was active as security boss in the Mahmoud Abbas government. Palestinian sources said the meeting was partly the result of intense pressure on Arafat by Egypt to take steps to restore law and order in the territories and to reinstate Dahlan in a position of power in Gaza to counter rising Hamas strength there. Dahlan stresses that he won't join any Palestinian government without formulation of an overall plan for completing security reforms in the PA and Fatah. Meanwhile, Dahlan is focused on beefing up his political position inside Fatah ahead of a post-Arafat era.
2004-02-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive