PLO is an illegal and illusory authority, Abbas misused presidency, says PLO political chief Farouq Al-Qaddoumi

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PLO is an illegal and illusory authority, PLO political chief Qaddoumi says

Date: 22 / 06 / 2007 Time: 14:25

Bethlehem - Ma'an -

The Palestine Liberation Organization is as a "an illegal and illusory authority," the head of the PLO's political department, Farouq Al-Qaddoumi, charged on Thursday. He also accused Palestinian President Abbas of misusing his presidential authorities.

At the same time, Qaddoumi called on the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Jordan to exert pressure on Fateh and Hamas in order to bring them together around one negotiations' table in order to produce a national accord in which future relations between the two movements would be clarified.

However, Qaddoumi refused to mediate between President Mahmoud Abbas, from Fateh, and Khaled Mesha'al, Hamas' politburo chief, because he does not wish to make things worse, he said.

He also accused the Palestinian Authority presidency of misusing the PLO departments. "The Preventive Security [security services considered loyal to Fateh] used to commit things which we were not satisfied with, especially after the appointment of [Muhammad] Dahlan as national security advisor," he said.

Qaddoumi, who was speaking to Ash Sharq Al-Awsat news agency (MENA) in Cairo, added that Hamas should bring those who "committed massacres in Gaza to justice; they should be punished." He also warned of the creation of "cantons" in the occupied Palestinian territories and urged the Palestinian leaders to stick to the unity of these territories.

He also said that the two factions, Hamas and Fateh, should not exchange accusations which "might be transported to the West Bank." They should be committed to ensuring calm, he said, and not carrying out "any negative acts."

"Hamas claims that some acts were carried out without its knowledge," Qaddoumi continued. "That cannot be accepted."

In response to a suggestion made by a member of Hamas' political bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouq, regarding the formation of a technocrat government without any Hamas or Fateh members, Qaddoumi said, "all such suggestions should be presented to the Arab foreign ministers and the Arab League secretary general."

As for Fateh's role in the recent regrettable incidents in the Gaza Strip, he said, "There is a great part of Fateh who were not part of this crisis; we have distributed an internal memo advising our members not to commit any acts of revenge in the West Bank as we represent the majority of the people there."

Qaddoumi also accused President Abbas of misusing his presidential authorities. "There is a misuse of authority by the PA presidency," Qaddoumi charged. "We have always said that the [Palestinian] National Council should be elected by Palestinians in order to form a new Executive Committee for the PLO. This National Council should convene outside Palestine, but there are still manipulations and misuses of the authorities which will make the PLO lose its effect and respect."

With regard to the emergency government, he said, "this is something in the PA and for the territories."

"This cannot be generalized as this is only happening inside the Palestinian territories," Qaddoumi warned. "The main reason for what happened is related and limited to the PA, which is an illegal and illusory authority," Qaddoumi charged. "The PA is the fruit of the Oslo agreements, which died when Rabin died."

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