Palestinians Confirm Their Plans to Hold Elections Next January
Under Oslo, the Palestinians and Israelis were supposed to have reached a final agreement, presumably creating a Palestinian state, by Sept. 13, 2000 — just before this conflict broke out.

The "100 Days Plan" of reform released today, which confirmed details reported previously, was drawn up by a committee of ministers appointed by Mr. Arafat. It was forwarded to Washington and Arab capitals on Monday, in anticipation that Mr. Bush would call for thorough changes in Palestinian governance.

It calls for sharp separation of powers, new consolidation and discipline of the multiple security agencies, and school curriculums renouncing fanaticism and emphasizing democratic values.

It calls for all tax revenue and other income to the Palestinian Authority to be deposited in one treasury account and for official commercial and investment operations to be run by a single "Palestinian Investment Fund" with strict, independent auditing.

It also requests new regulations spelling out the duties of Palestinian governors, who are appointed by Mr. Arafat and sometimes clash with local officials. The governors will now report to the minister of interior — under the proposed reforms a powerful official who will also have oversight over internal security in the West Bank and Gaza, a senior Palestinian official said.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly said that Israeli blockades and military attacks have crippled their institutions; for example, many legislators, like Mr. Khader, are unable to travel from their home cities to Ramallah to meet.

But Mr. Arafat has also ignored the legislature when it suited him. Only last month did he sign a so-called Basic Law, a sort of constitution guaranteeing basic rights to Palestinians, that the legislature passed five years ago. It is still not known for certain what version of the law he signed.

The Palestinian Authority's plan for reform declares that "the Basic Law will be published in the Official Gazette no later than" July 15.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/26/international/middleeast/26CND-PALE.html