Palestinian Authority Sets a January Vote
Hussam Khader, a Palestinian legislator and one of the most passionate critics of Mr. Arafat within his Fatah movement, said that Mr. Bush's comments had guaranteed that Mr. Arafat would stay in power for years to come.

Paraphrasing Mr. Bush, he went on: "When he said `I don't want Yasir Arafat, and I want a new leadership,' then he emotionally pushed the Palestinian people to re-elect Yasir Arafat. This is the worst thing he mentioned in his speech. This will give new life to Yasir Arafat and his corrupt people."

In a sign of how difficult Mr. Bush's vision of a mature Palestinian democracy may be to achieve, Mr. Khader said that he did not plan to run for re-election himself, having given up on the possibility that the Legislature could be a meaningful, independent voice. He added that after Mr. Bush's speech even he was now reluctant to call for Mr. Arafat's replacement.

Mr. Arafat "will run, sure he will run," Mr. Khader said. "No one will beat him. Yasir Arafat, he's still the symbol."

Palestinian officials warned that they would not be able to conduct elections until Israeli forces withdraw from the West Bank towns they have occupied and take up the positions they held in September 2000, before the latest conflict began. In his speech, Mr. Bush suggested that Israel withdraw, but only after violence subsides.

In a further complication, Palestinian officials said that they expected Palestinians living in Jerusalem to vote in the elections, as they did in 1996. But Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calls Jerusalem Israel's eternal, undivided capital, and might resist such an expression of alternative sovereignty.

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.

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

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

The plan 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 — who, under the proposed reforms, would be a powerful official overseeing internal security in the West Bank and Gaza, a senior Palestinian official said.

In a sign of the basic level at which Palestinians are seeking to rationalize their governance, the plan commits the Palestinian Authority to "put into force all laws that have been passed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/27/international/middleeast/27PALE.html