(Jerusalem Post)Khaled Abu Toameh - Sakher Habash, a senior Fatah official closely associated with Arafat, on Saturday denied reports that Arafat was contemplating appointing a new interior minister with expanded authority over the security forces. He said that Arafat would remain in charge of PA security forces. He also announced that the PA has no intention of confiscating the weapons of the various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. According to Habash, Arafat has agreed to the Egyptian demand to reduce the number of PA security forces from 12 to 3, but these 3 forces would report to the National Security Council, headed by Arafat.
2004-06-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive