that he has agreed "in principle" to appoint a prime minister and a ‘road map’ to peace in the Middle East.
The Voice of America (VOA) quoted Palestinian officials as saying that naming a prime minister and other reforms, is "linked to the so-called roadmap by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia to rekindle Israel-Palestinian peace talks, with the goal of ending violence and creating a Palestinian state."
Officials from the UN, EU and Russia had earlier pressured Arafat in Ramallah to show he is willing to end the bloodshed and limit his own authority, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) News Service reported.
The increasingly frail and embattled President told the diplomats that he will seek approval for the appointment from the Palestinian Legislative Council with the next few days, the ICEJ News Service said.
SEVERAL CANDIDATES
Among those believed include the Western backed Finance Minister Salaam Fayad, Minister of Interior Hani al-Hassan. However analysts have cautioned that it remains unclear just how much power Arafat is now willing to share with a prime minister.
The Palestinian leader had resisted that demand, apparently fearing such a move could weaken his position. However Israel and the United States refused to deal with Arafat directly in recent months, accusing him of encouraging attacks against Israelis.
Yet, Palestinians point out that Arafat was freely elected as president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, and they reject efforts to oust the man they see as their leader.
INTERNAL PRESSURE
However internal pressure for reforms has steadily increased, reports said. Last year, Arafat called for general elections that were to have been held in January.
That vote was cancelled when Palestinian officials said it would be impossible to hold free and fair elections as long as Israeli troops occupy major Palestinian population centers.
Convening the Palestinian legislature could also prove difficult, as it has recently, unless Israel agrees to allow its members to travel to such a meeting, VOA said.
