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2nd LD Writethru: Abbas, 9 PLO executive committee members resigned: official

Xinhua, August 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and nine PLO executive committee members resigned, a senior official said on Saturday.

Abbas and the nine PLO executive committee members resigned on Saturday in a bid to force the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the PLO parliament in exile, to convene soon.

Ghassan Shak'aa, one of the nine members who resigned, told Xinhua that the resignations were submitted during a committee meeting held in Ramallah and chaired by Abbas.

"Slaeem Za'noon, speaker of the PNC, who lives in Amman, received the resignations of President Abbas and nine members of the 18-member committee in accordance to the law," said Shak'aa.

He said that according to the law and after the resignations, Za'noon has to call for an emergency meeting of the PNC to elect new committee, while the outgoing committee and its chairman will stay on until the new session.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Ismail confirmed to Xinhua the reports on the resignation of Abbas and nine other PLO executive committee members from the PLO, adding that he is one of the nine.

"According to the law, and in accordance to the resignation, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Salim Za'noon was officially notified on the resignation that he should call for the PNC to convene within 30 days.

Ahmed Majdalani, another PLO executive committee member told Xinhua on Thursday that the step of resignation is basically linked to the possibility of holding a special emergency session for the PNC.

Majdalani, also one of the nine committee members, said the PNC should convene in case more one third of the members are vacant, according to the law.

Saeb Erekat, who was assigned by Abbas as the PLO executive committee secretary general, told reporters that the resignations of President Abbas and the other nine members will be presented only during the meeting of the PNC.

"The PLO executive committee demanded to hold an exceptional meeting of the PNC as immediate as possible to debate a series of issues and files including the internal Palestinian situation," said Erekat.

Asked About electing Erekat as the secretary general of the PLO executive committee, Ismail told Xinhua that assigning Erekat in this position was made before Abbas's resignation.

Ismail added that because many were against assigning Erekat in this position, Abbas asked for election to know who is in favor and who is against.

Also on Satuday, the PLO executive committee said in an official statement that it urges the PNC to do all that is needed to open the new session.

The PNC is the parliament of the PLO and includes representatives from Palestinian political factions, trade unions and popular organizations inside the Palestinian territories and in the Diaspora.

The council consists of more than 500 members, including 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), in which Hamas won a majority in the last parliamentary elections held in the Palestinian territories in 2006.

Meanwhile, Islamic Hamas movement rejected the calls for holding a special PNC session.

Last meeting of the PNC was held in Gaza city in 1996, where its members overwhelmingly voted in favor of signing Oslo peace accords with Israel. Endit