(Boston Globe) Charles A. Radin - President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon spent months trying to sideline Arafat. Their failure to do so became clear last week during the investiture of the new Palestinian prime minister. First, Arafat demonstrated his power by temporarily blocking the new prime minister from receiving a vote of confidence, a warning that Arafat can get a no-confidence vote later if he desires it. In his speech on Tuesday, Arafat portrayed the new government not as a way to improve and democratize Palestinian governance, but as a strategic tack to avoid "the tempests of the Middle East.'' ''His program does not differ from our basics,'' Arafat said of Abbas. Photos of the first cabinet meeting chaired by Abbas showed him seated beneath a larger-than-life portrait of Arafat. The week's events ''show that, once again, efforts to write Arafat's [political] obituary have been grossly premature," said a Western diplomat.
2003-05-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive