Abbas vows to follow Arafat’s legacy

GAZA CITY: Palestinian Liberation Oorganisation (PLO) chief Mahmoud Abbas pledged to remain faithful to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s legacy on Friday as he commemorated his Fatah party’s 40th anniversary in the Gaza Strip.

In Israel, the formation of a new national unity government to carry out the planned withdrawal from Gaza next year appeared likely to be delayed when a small religious party set out tough conditions for its participation in the coalition. “We will remain faithful to your (Arafat’s) legacy until freedom,” Abbas told a 20,000-strong crowd.

Abbas, who is Fatah official candidate and great favourite to win the January 9 presidential polls, went on to light a torch to launch festivities marking the 40th anniversary of the political movement created by Arafat.

Abbas also reiterated his support to the Palestinian “national imperatives” that were defined by Arafat, citing “the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the end of the occupation and of the apartheid wall (Israel’s West Bank barrier) and the right of return for the Palestinian refugees.” afp

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