Guardian UK September 6, 2003
The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, weakened by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, resigned today, dealing a serious blow to a US-backed peace plan.
Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, sent his resignation to Mr Arafat in a letter delivered by senior Palestinian officials, according to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
There were conflicting reports about whether the resignation had been accepted. Reuters cied a Palestinian official as saying that Mr Arafat had accepted the resignation and asked Mr Abbas to run a caretaker cabinet. However, aides to Mr Arafat later said he was still considering the resignation, and a US state department official said it was not clear whether the resignation had been accepted.
Mr Abbas's aides said he had been frustrated by the constant wrangling with Mr Arafat, the near-collapse of the US-backed "road map" plan for peace with Israel and his inability to improve the daily lives of Palestinians.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1036779,00.html
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