RAMALLAH, May 3, 2018 (WAFA) – The 23rd Palestinian National Council (PNC) resumed on Thursday its fourth day of deliberations and discussions with a focus on holding elections for the 18-person Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the 100-person Palestinian Central Council, the second decision-making body after the PNC.
According to Mahmoud Aloul, deputy head of Fatah movement and member of the PNC, the Thursday meetings are supposed to discuss reforming the PLO institutions, as well as electing members of the Executive Committee and the Central Council.
He told Voice of Palestine radio that a communique is going to be issued at the conclusion of the meetings, which will most likely be based on the speech President Mahmoud Abbas made at the opening session on Monday.
Secretary of Fatah Central Committee, Jibril Rajoub, also told Voice of Palestine that one of the most important outcomes of the PNC is to reach a consensus on the political program, stressing that the strategic objective of the meetings is to maintain the role of PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people everywhere and giving greater representation for the youth and women in the National Council.
He denied reports that the PNC is going to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council, the parliament of the Palestinian Authority (PA) which has not functioned since the 2007 Hamas military takeover of power in the Gaza Strip and setting up an alternate authority to the PA.
Rajoub said that many of the organizational issues that the PNC was supposed to discuss in these sessions will be moved and discussed at the Central Council when it meets within a period of not more than three months from now.
He said the PNC will transfer some of its powers to the Central Council, which will deal with the division and ensure greater representation of social segments such as youth and women.
Ahmad Sobh, member of the PNC, said the position papers of the various political factions and independents will be formulated into the final statement.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hanna Amira, told the official Voice of Palestine radio that if there is an agreement on the independent members who will be represented in the Executive Committee and who will number six, and the 40 members in the Central Council, the PNC will most likely finish its work on Thursday. Otherwise it will resume meetings on Friday.
M.K.
