Arafat speaks out against terror acts

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat condemned terror attacks and promised to hold general elections in January, but in a rambling speech to the Palestinian parliament Monday he fell short of outlining clear steps against terror or agreeing to share some power with a prime minister.

Fumbling with microphones and repeatedly straying from a prepared text, the Palestinian leader also offered - apparently in jest - to give up executive powers if asked.

The parliament session in Arafat's sandbagged West Bank headquarters came at what could be a pivotal point in the two years of Israeli-Palestinian violence, with signs of a thaw coinciding with Palestinian militants' efforts to stage attacks of unprecedented scale.

In a speech that was both conciliatory and packed with accusations against Israel, Arafat said he condemned "attacks against Israeli civilians" and that such attacks drew attention away from Palestinians' suffering under Israeli occupation. He told legislators to uphold the national interest - but he skipped passages from the draft that included a call on parliament to ban suicide attacks.

Addressing Israelis, Arafat said: "We want to achieve peace with you. We want security and stability for us and you and for the entire area. . . . After 50 years of struggle, I say it's enough of the struggle and bloodshed."

Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said the speech was meaningless and that Palestinian reform would not work with Arafat in power. "Peace and reforms can only happen when Arafat is not there," Gissin said.

Paul Patin, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, said after the speech that Arafat would be judged by his actions, not his words.

In Gaza, Ismail Abu Shanab of the Islamic militant group Hamas said Arafat showed no clear strategy. "We need to . . . find a way to challenge the Israeli aggression," said Abu Shanab, whose group has carried out scores of suicide attacks that have killed more than 250 Israeli civilians in the past two years.

The Palestinian legislature has convened only sporadically, and usually with a low turnout, during the past two years, because of Israeli travel restrictions.

On Monday, Israel banned 12 legislators from making the trip from Gaza to Ramallah, saying they were involved in attacks on Israelis. In solidarity, other Gazan lawmakers stayed behind and participated by video conference.

At the opening of the session, parliament re-elected speaker Ahmed Qureia. A key player in previous peace talks with Israel, Qureia is a confidant of Arafat and is seen as a potential successor.

Arafat's maneuvers seemed to please no one, with several Palestinian legislators complaining he had held off on presenting his new Cabinet to parliament for approval, and that he had not set a specific election date.

When Arafat mentioned that presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections would be held in early January - as previously announced by aides - one legislator shouted: "What is needed is a presidential decree with a specific date."

Arafat's confirmation of the January date appeared to defy the United States, which has sought a delay in presidential elections in hopes of winning Palestinian agreement to installing a prime minister who would take over day-to-day governance and render Arafat a figurehead.

The idea of a prime minister is also popular among Palestinians fed up with official corruption and mismanagement, and some legislators have conditioned support for Arafat's new Cabinet on creation of a prime ministerial post.

"I wish to hear him accepting the appointment of a prime minister," said Qadura Fares, a lawmaker from Arafat's Fatah movement, adding that without it he expected a majority to vote against the new Cabinet.

At one point, Arafat said reforms should be based on a separation of powers, then added: "Unless you want to bring somebody else in the executive authority. I wish you could do it and give me a rest."

Arafat aides said later that he has repeatedly made the offer, always in jest, in internal meetings. At a weekend meeting, Arafat continued to resist aides' pressure to share power with a prime minister, sources said.

The Palestinian leader has been weakened in recent months, with the United States shunning him and Israel trying to sideline him. Since a major Israeli military offensive in March, he has been largely confined to his headquarters in Ramallah.

The legislature was to reconvene Tuesday, with the wrangle over the Cabinet expected to dominate proceedings.

In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, Israeli troops blew up the house of a suspected Palestinian militant in the Boureij refugee camp. During the operation, about 60 tanks encircled Boureij and two adjacent camps. Troops found a building used to manufacture anti-tank missiles and mortar bombs and blew it up, the army said.

Despite a five-week lull in suicide bombings, Israeli authorities last week intercepted a car near the West Bank border carrying one of the biggest bombs they have ever found - 1,350 pounds of explosives - plus two barrels containing fuel and metal fragments.

Sharon said last week that he sees a possibility for the first time of reaching an accord with the Palestinians. On Monday, a senior Palestinian official said Sharon would meet in the coming days with Arafat's deputy, Mahmoud Abbas, to try to find a way out of the fighting. Sharon's aides declined comment, but Sharon has recently said he has been contacted by a senior Palestinian official and was ready to meet with him.