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Palestinian Cabinet crisis deepens

RAMALLAH (West Bank) APRIL 22. The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and his Prime Minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, clung to their positions on Tuesday in a bitter power struggle, raising the possibility that Mr. Abbas will fail to form a Cabinet by a mid-week deadline and be forced to resign.

A senior official close to Mr. Arafat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was little hope for a breakthrough and that he expected Mr. Abbas to resign by Wednesday. Mr. Arafat is already considering the Parliament Speaker, Ahmed Qureia, as a possible replacement for Mr. Abbas.

Ostensibly, the disagreement is over Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief, whom Mr. Abbas wants to name to a key security position. Beyond that, there is a broader struggle over how much authority Mr. Arafat — for decades the sole leader of the Palestinians — is ready to relinquish.

The duel is closely watched by international mediators, who have been urging Mr. Arafat not to sabotage Mr. Abbas. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, called Mr. Arafat on Tuesday and — according to one Palestinian official — delivered a stern message that everything must be done to assure that Mr. Abbas is installed as Prime Minister. Arab, European and U.S. officials have also called Mr. Arafat in recent days.

Mr. Abbas must present a list of Ministers to Mr. Arafat by midnight on Wednesday, and the Palestinian Parliament would then have a week to vote on the new Cabinet. Mr. Abbas' resignation could cause considerable delays in unveiling a U.S.-backed peace plan, a ``road map'' to full Palestinian statehood within three years.

AP

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