The Hindu : International : Barghouti throws his hat in the ring

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Friday, Dec 03, 2004

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International

Barghouti throws his hat in the ring

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, DEC. 2. The jailed Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, has reversed his decision and decided to contest Presidential elections slated for January 9.

Mr. Barghouti's papers were filed hours before a deadline for candidates to register. The decision throws the election to replace the late Yasser Arafat wide open. Until now, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Mahmoud Abbas, was expected to win easily. Mr. Barghouti last week issued a statement saying he would not run and expressed support for Mr. Abbas.

Wide following

Mr. Barghouti has a wide following among Palestinians, and within the younger members of the Fatah, the umbrella organisation raised by Arafat, which represents the mainstream Palestinian national movement.

Fatah movement members have criticised Mr. Barghouti's decision as it could split the organisation and question the legitimacy of the movement among Palestinians. Tayeb Abdel Rahim, Secretary-General of the Fatah Central Committee, called the decision, an "irresponsible step."

Mr. Barghouti has lost his place inside the Fatah movement, Mr. Rahim was quoted as saying, following a Fatah meeting in Gaza on Wednesday. Other Fatah officials reiterated their support for Mr. Abbas.

Persuasion efforts

Aware of the consequences, a serious effort is under way to persuade him to withdraw his nomination. "Mr. Barghouti under Palestinian law has two weeks within which he could withdraw his candidacy. There is an effort to persuade him to do so," Hafez Barghouti, editor in chief of Palestinian daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah told The Hindu over telephone from Ramallah. The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, said Mr. Barghouti's decision had undermined the Palestinian unity. "We urge the Palestinians that there should be one voice and no differences at a time when we need to stay clear of differences," Mr. Mubarak said in comments broadcast on Egyptian state television.

Deal possible: Abbas

Mr. Abbas has called for immediate resumption of talks and said that a final peace deal with Israel was possible next year. "If there are good intentions, let us start now, without prejudicing the road map, with dealing with issues of the final period so we achieve the settlement as scheduled in 2005," Mr. Abbas said in an interview with Egyptian magazine Almussawarin published on Wednesday.

"I think that is possible and not difficult," he observed. The road map is a West Asia peace plan, backed by the Quartet of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union. Mr. Abbas, who heads the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Yasser Arafat's death last month, urged Israel to adopt confidence building measures.

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