Arafat & Abbas Meeting to discuss proposed cabinet
At Ramallah on the West Bank, Palestinian lawmakers this evening voted to approve a new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
The US plan, known as a 'road map' to peace, calls for a Palestinian state as early as 2005 at the end of a process that starts with a halt to violence and Israeli steps to improve life for Palestinians.
White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said President Bush looked forward to working with the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian people, the Israeli government and the Israeli people, to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East.
Earlier today the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called on his cabinet to work for national unity.
During the speech to the Palestinian parliament, he said lawmakers should carry out dialogue with all factions, to work for 'real peace and real security'.
Mr Arafat called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land, end its attacks and withdraw its troops.
Meanwhile the radical Islamic group, Hamas, has dismissed a pledge by the Palestinian prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas, to crack down on illegal weapons.
A spokesperson for the group said the arms were needed for defensive purposes.
He said Hamas would try to avoid clashes with Palestinian security forces who tried to disarm them, but that any response would be decided in conjunction with other Palestinian factions.
Preventing further attacks and disarming hardline factions is required for the implementation of the first step in the international peace plan or 'roadmap' which is to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
