Arafat reshuffles authority

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat named a new, smaller Cabinet on Sunday that includes a new minister to oversee the security forces. The move follows strong calls for reform by ordinary Palestinians and Western governments.\nIn a press conference, Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in January of next year and municipal elections this fall.\nThe announcements came on the eve of a sixth White House meeting in about a year between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush, harsh critics of the Palestinian leader. Sharon, in a newspaper opinion piece, reiterated his position that no peace negotiations will resume until Palestinian violence ends.\nArafat slimmed down his Cabinet from 31 to 21 ministers, and brought in several new faces.\n"It will be a smaller, more effective Cabinet," said Nabil Shaath, planning minister in both.\nIn the most important change, Arafat named 73-year-old Abdel Razak Yehiyeh interior minister -- a position that "will be responsible for all the security issues inside the Palestinian territories (and) supervise all the security establishments," said Rabbo, a close confidant of Arafat who retains his information post and assumes the cultural affairs portfolio.\nArafat took the interior ministry portfolio for himself when the Palestinian Authority was established eight years ago. However, Arafat has come under intense pressure from the United States and Israel to revamp the security forces with the aim of preventing violence against Israel.\nPlanning and International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath and Local Government Minister Saeb Erekat retain their positions.\nCIA director George Tenet met Arafat last week at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah and pressed him to restructure the multiple, overlapping security agencies.\nYehiyeh, a former guerrilla commander, has not held any high-profile positions recently and his selection bypasses more prominent figures.