Cabinet plan leaves security in Arafat's hands

By Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson
Knight Ridder Newspapers

	Ahmed Qureia
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia yesterday announced the long-awaited formation of his government. To the dismay of U.S. and Israeli leaders, it leaves Yasser Arafat firmly in control of security agencies vital to future peace talks.

Hours later in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won narrow approval from his Cabinet for a controversial prisoner exchange that would free about 400 Arabs — most of them Palestinian — in exchange for a kidnapped Israeli businessman and the remains of three Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

Critics contend that neither of yesterday's developments will bring peace or security.

Qureia said he and the 23 other ministers in his Cabinet would be presented Wednesday to the Palestinian Legislative Council, which is expected to give a vote of confidence.

Arafat confidant Hakam Balawi has been tapped as interior minister, controlling the civil police and the Preventive Security Service, which would have a key role in any action against militant groups. The other six security agencies will report to a National Security Council headed by Arafat.

Both Israel and the United States have pressured the Palestinians to place their security forces under an empowered prime minister.

"Arafat wants to tell all people he's the only man who can make decisions," said Palestinian legislator Hassan Khreisheh, who opposes the aging leader. "This government will bring nothing new. They are playing games while people are dying, suffering from hunger, suffering from Israeli (military) strikes."

The Bush administration and Israel expressed disappointment.

"The prime minister must have control of all of the security forces and insist that terrorists and military organizations not under the control of the Palestinian Authority be disarmed and dismantled," said State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt.

"The news of Arafat maintaining control of the security forces is not promising," said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

When the controversial Israeli-Arab prisoner swap will take place was unclear, although the Israeli proposal includes a provision that some analysts predicted could be a deal-breaker: It prevents any prisoners with Israeli "blood on their hands" from being freed.

That includes Samir Kuntar, a Druze from southern Lebanon sentenced for murdering a father and his 5-year-old daughter as well as a policeman in the northern Israeli town of Nahariya 24 years ago.

Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has insisted that all Lebanese detainees must be included in any exchange. "Failure to release Kuntar will endanger the whole deal," he told a Lebanese newspaper.

Meanwhile, Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein announced last night that although Sharon violated "accepted norms of behavior" when he intervened for friends in a land-compensation deal with the government, there was not enough evidence to charge the prime minister with corruption.

The compensation reportedly was increased by $110,000 after Sharon called the agency.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.

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