Erekat offer to quit accepted

Arafat loyalist left out of summit delegation

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has accepted the resignation of leading negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Culture Minister Ziad Abu Amr said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, only hours before key talks between the Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers.

Mr Erekat - a leading negotiator with Israel for the past 10 years and a known loyalist of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat - apparently tendered his resignation after being left out of Saturday's talks.

I insisted on the resignation

Saeb Erekat
Senior Palestinian negotiator

The meeting - the highest level contact between the sides since the current intifada erupted in September 2000 - was expected to focus on the US-backed peace plan, known as the roadmap.

The Palestinians have accepted the plan in its current form, while Israel has so far refused to do so, outlining more than a dozen reservations.

New split

Mr Erekat told the BBC he had resigned because he could no longer tolerate the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

He said it was now up to President Bush to force Mr Sharon to accept the roadmap, although he thought the chances of Israel accepting the peace plan unconditionally were extremely low. The two are due to meet in Washington next week.

However according to External Affairs Minister Nabil Shaath, Mr Erekat resigned in protest at not being included in the delegation to meet Mr Sharon.

SAEB EREKAT

Chief Palestinian negotiator since 1996

Arafat loyalist

Born 1955 in Jerusalem

Educated in US and UK

Profile: Saeb Erekat

Analysis: Slim hopes for peace

Mr Erekat said he had told Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas - better known as Abu Mazen - that he would not change his mind.

"I wish the best of success to the government of Abu Mazen. I want to tell him, 'Go ahead in negotiations, but first you have to bring Israeli acceptance to the road map'," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

The BBC's Jeremy Cooke in Jerusalem says the resignation may mark a split between senior Palestinian politicians who remain close to Mr Arafat, and a new guard which is more closely aligned with the new prime minister.