Arafat likely to ask Abbas to form new government: Saeb Erakat

LONDON, Sept 7 (AFP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is likely to ask prime minister Mahmud Abbas to form a new government, a close ally of Arafat who is in charge of negotiations with Israel said Sunday.

"I think the likely option is that he will ask prime minister Abbas to form the government again," said Saeb Erakat, speaking to BBC television after Abbas threw the Middle East peace process into turmoil Saturday by quitting his post.

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Erakat also said that Arafat had not yet accepted Abbas' resignation because he had not written a formal letter.

"President Arafat has five options," said Erakat in his interview with the BBC.

"Option number one is to accept the resignation, which he has not done yet because he (Abbas) has to send the written letter.

"Secondly he can reject the resignation. Thirdly he can begin consultations, which he began last night.

"Fourthly ... he can accept the resignation and ask Abu Mazen (as Abbas is also known) to form the government again. Of fifthly he may accept the resignation and ask somebody else.

"I think President Arafat is weighing these options and I think the likely option is that he will ask Prime Minister Abbas to form the government again."

Erakat added: "The most important thing now is that we want to keep the (peace) roadmap on the table. As Palestinians we do realise that time is of the essence for internal Palestinian dynamics.

"We want to keep the American adminstration engaged, we want the quartet to revive its role in terms of maintaining the roadmap on the table."

The so-called quartet of powers responsible for the roadmap for peace in the Middle East is made up of the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations.

Arafat was Sunday chairing a meeting of the central committee of his Fatah movement at his offices in the West Bank city of Ramallah and then convening a gathering of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation to mull over the appointment of a prime minister.

pk/et/jfs

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