Arafat Agrees to Name a Prime Minister
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Friday he would appoint a prime minister to help run day-to-day affairs, meeting a key reform the United States and the European Union have demanded for months.

Arafat, speaking to reporters at his battered compound in Ramallah, did not say who the prime minister would be, when the appointment would begin or how much power the position would have.

The move could help improve the climate for reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations that collapsed more than two years ago. The two sides have had increased contacts in recent days but have not achieved any breakthroughs.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Palestinians.html