Palestinian PM wins cabinet deal

Nabil Shaath is set to be deputy prime minister

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has won the backing of the main Fatah faction for a new cabinet.

Fatah MPs had called on Mr Qurei not to give jobs to veterans of Yasser Arafat's time - widely seen as corrupt.

One of the few to remain from the old guard is Nabil Shaath, who will be information minister and deputy prime minister, the BBC has learned.

Mr Qurei faced losing his job after Fatah MPs rejected his initial proposal for a cabinet with just four newcomers.

The legislative council as a whole is expected to vote on the cabinet shortly.

The proposed new line-up does not include the veteran negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Instead it is mostly made up of technocrats and other experts brought in to tackle corruption and social issues.

Former general Nasser Yousef has been tipped for the key position of interior minister, responsible for the Palestinian security services.

The former envoy to the United Nations, Nasser al-Kidwa, is earmarked to be foreign minister.

Reformist Finance Minister Salam Fayad is expected to keep his job.

Reform programme

Critics say that under Yasser Arafat, who died in November, ministerial jobs were handed out on the basis of connections rather than competence.

The cabinet needs support of a simple majority for ratification

Mahmoud Abbas, the new president of the Palestinian Authority, has largely stayed clear of the cabinet row, but on Wednesday he met fellow members of the Fatah faction in Ramallah to urge their support for Mr Qurei's latest list.

Successful reform of the PA is a key aspect in Mr Abbas's policy to gain Palestinian credibility in any future peace negotiations with Israel.

MPs said Mr Qurei - also known as Abu Ala - would have to be replaced as prime minister if his proposed cabinet failed to win support.

The cabinet needs support of a simple majority for ratification and Fatah holds about two thirds of the seats in the 85-seat parliament. The other main Palestinian political grouping, the militant group Hamas, boycotts the parliament.