Qorei: Ceasefire top priority

2003-10-07 13:41

Abu Dis, West Bank - New Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei said on Tuesday that he would make the pursuit of a mutual ceasefire with Israel the main goal of his government.

Asked about his top priorities ahead of the first meeting of his new cabinet, Qorei said: "Trying to reach a mutual ceasefire with the Israeli side."

The outgoing speaker of parliament was installed as prime minister on Sunday night as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared a state of emergency in the West Bank and Gaza. Qorei also said that he sought a broad dialogue with all strands of Palestinian political life.

He wanted to "establish an inter-Palestinian dialogue more serious than anytime before in order to reach a common ground on the way of ending the present crisis."

Avoiding civil war

Sources close to Qorei had said on Monday that the government would move against hardline factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad but Qorei is also understood to be determined to avoid any descent into civil war in Palestinian ranks.

He also called for an end to the Israeli army's siege of Arafat in his Ramallah headquarters. Israel has declared Arafat an absolute obstacle to peace and threatened to "remove" him from the West Bank.

"We categorically reject the situation of Mr Arafat and consider it as an affront to the dignity of our people and we have to work in order to end this situation which constitutes a blatant Israeli interference in Palestinian affairs," said Qorei.

The premier also reaffirmed that his government remained committed to the implementation of the "roadmap", an internationally-backed peace plan which envisages a Palestinian state by 2005 but has stalled amid a recent cycle of violence.

"This project as far as we concerned still stands," he said.

"America and the quartet (the co-sponsors of the roadmap) have also said the roadmap still stands and they are committed to it but Israel is sabotaging it all the time."

But he said that prospect of a resumption on negotiations with the Israelis, which have been frozen since a massive suicide bomb in Jerusalem on August 19, depended on "the results of regional and international efforts."

Qorei will head a nine-member cabinet for a month but he plans to soon expand his line-up.

"I intend to enlarge the government in a month's time - if I stay in office," he added ironically.

Qorei's predecessor, Mahmud Abbas, quit a month ago after a mere four months in office.

- AFP