(Reuters) Emergent Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas drew cheers at an election rally Tuesday by vowing to follow in Arafat's footsteps while stressing he would seek a state via peace talks with Israel. Abbas has repeated Arafat's stand that Palestinians will settle for no less than a state in all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip with east Jerusalem as its capital and the "right of return" of refugees to what is now Israel. "Our positions are the positions of Arafat," said Abbas. "We want an authority based on institutions and the rule of law. We have chosen negotiations and peace as the path to achieve our rights." People in the crowd shouted slogans for democratic reform rather than chants about "martyrs marching to Jerusalem."
2004-12-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive