May 1, 2003	Thursday	Safar 28, 1424

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RAMALLAH, April 30: The new Palestinian cabinet of moderate prime minister Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in by veteran leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday.

Mr Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was sworn in with his new ministerial line-up by Mr Arafat in front of representatives of the international diplomatic quartet, which has drawn up the peace plan, known as the “roadmap”.

The new premier told parliament on Tuesday that he would crack down on militants fighting Israel and collect illegal weapons, although hours later a suicide bomber linked to his own Fatah faction killed three people in Tel Aviv.

Top Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said it was now down to Israel to make the first move towards implementing the internationally backed plan and pull its troops out of Palestinian cities it has reoccupied since a series of suicide bombings last June.

“The first step must be from Israel, which should withdraw its forces from our cities in compliance with what the roadmap says. The international community must force Israel to implement what’s in the roadmap, otherwise it will all just be a mockery.”

Mr Abbas has pledged a crackdown on Palestinian violence, an end to incitement and a respect for the rule of law.

Meanwhile the Palestinian PM asked newspaper editors on Wednesday to break with the tradition of publishing expensive adverts congratulating new ministers on their appointments, a press manager here said.—AFP