Palestinian Parliament elects Abbas

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian parliament approved Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister Tuesday, clearing the final obstacle to the launch of a U.S.- backed plan that holds the first real hope of ending 2 1/2 years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting and renewing peace talks.\nThe plan, sponsored by the "quartet" of Mideast mediators, could be unveiled by Thursday, a diplomat said.\nIn his first speech to parliament, Abbas stuck to traditional Palestinian positions toward Israel, but also pledged to disarm militias, a promise that could set up a violent showdown between the Palestinian Authority and militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.\n"I think that I can meet all my obligations in the government, for the sake of our people," a smiling Abbas said after the vote.\nBut the task facing the 68-year-old premier, who despite a long career has little experience in the power politics of day-to-day government, appears overwhelming.\nHe'll have to keep at bay Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who remains popular, retains some powers -- including control of some security organizations -- and has already tried to sabotage him by objecting to his Cabinet selections.\nAnd in a sign of the troubles ahead, the Islamic militant Hamas warned it has no intention of disarming or ending attacks on Israelis.\nThe U.S. and Israel are eager to do business with Abbas, an outspoken opponent of violence among the Palestinian leadership. But the international support has hurt Abbas at home, with many Palestinians considering him a U.S. puppet.\nUnderscoring the difficulties was the violence that continued to rage, with Israeli troops killing three militants and a bystander even as the lawmakers gathered in Ramallah to confirm Abbas' Cabinet.\nThe confirmation -- by 51-18, with three abstentions -- clears the way for the unveiling of the so-called road map to Palestinian statehood. U.S. officials have said the plan would be formally unveiled once Abbas was installed.\nThe first stage calls for a cease-fire, a crackdown on Palestinian militias, an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian towns and the dismantling of Jewish settlements erected since 2001. A Palestinian state with provisional borders could be established by year's end and full statehood within three years, according to the timetable.\nAmong the abstainers was the activist Hanan Ashrawi, who complained that Abbas had chosen ministers based on personal loyalty.\nAbbas, who favors suit-and-tie attire in contrast to Arafat's penchant for military-style dress, delivered his agenda as he sat next to the Palestinian leader on a dais, facing a packed reception hall in Arafat's West Bank headquarters.\nLegislators traditionally hold part of their session in Arafat's office because he is afraid of leaving the compound, fearing he will be targeted by Israel. For the vote, the parliament moved to its own building in downtown Ramallah.\nIn perhaps the strongest denunciation of terrorism by a senior Palestinian official, Abbas said, "We are convinced that such methods do not lend support to a just cause like ours, but rather destroy it."\nArafat has condemned attacks on Israelis, but in ambiguous fashion, and Israel has accused him of encouraging, and even financing, attacks.\nAbbas promised to weed out corruption, including among the security forces, and hinted at a crackdown on militias. "The unauthorized possession of weapons ... is a major concern that will be relentlessly addressed," he said, adding that there would be "one authority, one law."\nA Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, said the group would "never drop its weapons and will not allow anyone to disarm it"