CAIRO, July 17: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat confirmed on Wednesday that he would be a candidate in January’s leadership elections, throwing down a gauntlet to US President George Bush, who wants to see him ousted.

At the same time, Arafat’s deputy in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Mahmud Abbas, who is more acceptable to critics of the Palestinian leadership, said he would not oppose him in the polls.

Asked if he would run by an interviewer for Egyptian television, Arafat said, “Of course, if I am tasked by the Palestinian command (because) I am proud of our democracy.”

He added, “I will refer to the (PLO) executive committee and the central committee, then afterwards I will stand in the elections.”

“It is imperative,” he added, speaking from his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

It was the first time Arafat had said personally that he intended to run in the Palestinian presidential elections, which he is tipped to win, although aides have indicated this was his intention.

Arafat also hit out at Bush, who called last month for Palestinians to change their leaders for ones not “compromised by terror” or lose US backing for their own state, in reference to Israel’s charges that Arafat is deeply implicated in anti-Israeli attacks by Palestinian groups.—AFP