Arafat Sends to Prime Minister Ultimatum with Candidates for Security Ministers

Head of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat has sent to the new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas a list of candidates for the Security Minister's post.

The Prime Minister should approve one of the three proposed appointees or "bang the door behind him, displaying his character," as he had promised.

The list submitted by Arafat includes Secretary of Arafat's chancellery Taieb Abd ar-Rahim, Hikam Balavai, whom Abbas intended to appoint secretary of the Cabinet, and Hamdan Ashur, also promoted to Palestinian ministers by Abbas.

The stumbling stone in the relations between Arafat and Abbas was the latter's demand that Mohammad Dahlan, ex chief of the Gaza Strip preventive security service, should be appointed the Security Minister.