Palestinian leader to seek deputy

Mr Abbas says he is in very good health

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he plans to appoint a deputy.

His comments came in the West Bank town of Ramallah shortly after returning from Jordan where he underwent a minor heart procedure earlier this week.

Mr Abbas, 70, did not say whom he would name, but his announcement could signal that he is grooming a successor, correspondents say.

It has emerged, meanwhile, that talks between Mr Abbas and Israeli PM Ariel Sharon will be in Jerusalem on 21 June.

The announcement was made by Mr Sharon's office.

I will make a vice-president under me. This issue is important and necessary Mahmoud Abbas

It would be the first time an Israeli prime minister and a Palestinian leader have met in the city that is at the centre of the conflict between the two sides.

A spokeswoman for Mr Sharon said the precise venue for the meeting had yet to be decided. There was no immediate comment by Palestinian officials on the announcement. Israel sees Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital, while Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem to become a capital of a future independent Palestinian state.

'Key post'

"This is a subject of vital importance. If we are to depend on institutions, this post should be created," Mr Abbas told reporters.

He added that he had been considering the idea ever since being elected in January to succeed Yasser Arafat.

Mr Abbas said he would discuss the issue with the Palestinian parliament and cabinet.

Under Palestinian law, Mr Abbas has the right to name a deputy. But in the event of Mr Abbas' death the speaker of the Palestinian parliament would take over for a transitional period of 60 days while elections are held.

Abbas health scare

On Thursday, Mr Abbas played down the significance of a heart procedure he underwent in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

A smiling Mr Abbas said outside the hospital that he was in very good health and that doctors had found nothing wrong.

Initial reports said he had undergone an angioplasty, a routine procedure where a small balloon is inserted to open a constricted blood vessel.

But it has now emerged the procedure was an angiogram, where a catheter is inserted to check if a blockage exists.

Mr Abbas has no history of serious heart disease, but has battled with cancer and eye disorders in the past.