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Abbas won't race for chairing PLO executive committee: official

Xinhua, September 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas decided not to run for chairing the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) scheduled to be held on Sept 15, a Palestinian official said Tuesday.

Secretary General of Abbas Fatah Party's revolutionary council Amin Maqbool told Xinhua that Abbas informed his decision to a Fatah Central Committee meeting held in Ramallah on Monday night.

Maqbool, who attended the meeting, said President Abbas told the meeting that he doesn't want to race for the chairman of the PLO executive committee "because he feels so tried of Israel's policy that is not committed to peace."

The senior Fatah official also said that Abbas's decision "is based on his previous attitude that he wants to quit all his posts due to the Israeli policies and measures amid the silence of the international community."

"President Abbas insisted on his decision in spite of the request of the central committee members to withdraw his decision," said Maqbool, adding that "there are attempts to convince him to run for the PLO chairman post."

On Sept 14, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the PLO parliament in exile, is to convene to elect new chairman and executive committee members for the PLO, instead of Abbas and nine others who resigned two weeks ago.

Later on Tuesday, Abbas is to chair the last meeting of the PLO executive committee to discuss the preparations for holding the PNC sessions that will be held in Ramallah on Sept. 14 for two days. Endit