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Those Jews really have some NERVE:
Sharon spokesman: Palestinians must rein in terrorism before holding elections
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Israeli official said Saturday the Palestinian Authority cannot move forward with US-demanded elections until it overhauls its security services and reins in terrorism.
Raanan Gissin, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, commented after a Palestinian official said Israel's occupation of West Bank towns and parts of the Gaza Strip make it impossible for the Palestinians to meet Washington's demand for new leadership.
'They don't need elections,' Gissin told The Associated Press.
'First of all they need to get rid of terrorism,' he said, arguing that it is impossible to have meaningful elections 'when there is terrorism and corruption.'
The comments came as CIA director George Tenet met in Washington with the Palestinian Authority's interior minister, Abdel Razak al-Yahya, to discuss security issues.
A high-level Palestinian delegation has been in Washington since midweek for talks on reforming the Palestinian administration.
Al- Yahya presented a plan for bolstering security to Tenet, said people close to the Palestinians, speaking on condition of anonymity in Washington. Al- Yahya told Tenet he was revamping what remains of a Palestinian security force he said was decimated by the Israelis and firing officers he found to be incompetent.
At home, Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said the delegation in Washington had told the Americans that elections could not be held so long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian areas and keep the people under a tight curfew.
'The cornerstone of stability in the Middle East depends on establishing a Palestinian state, and we hope this American-Palestinian relationship will continue for the benefit of stability and peace in the region,' Abu Rdeneh told reporters.
The talks in Washington are the highest-level US Palestinian meetings since President Bush called in June for Palestinians to replace Arafat and to reform the Palestinian Authority.
Gissin said the Palestinian Authority was responsible for all the Palestinians' hardships and had caused the destruction of infrastructure and prosperity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by encouraging a 'campaign of terror' against Israelis.
'The Palestinians have a choice to make, not between leaders but between the road they want to take, the road to rehabilitation or the road to destruction,' Gissin told AP.
US officials confirmed Friday that a CIA team met secretly with Palestinian officials and drew up a detailed plan for significant changes in Palestinian security services.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1028814645607
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