RAMALLAH, Dec 13: Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghuti called off his campaign to become Palestinian president on Sunday night, throwing his support behind PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

In a statement read out by his campaign manager Ahmed Ghneim, West Bank Fatah leader Barghuti said he wanted to act in the "national interest" and back Abbas who is the official candidate for the dominant Palestinian faction.

"I again stress my support to brother Abu Mazen (Abbas), the nominee of the movement who is a dear friend and somebody who deserves the position of president," his statement said. "I wish him every success in his mission on the road to achieving freedom, the return (of refugees), independence, peace and national democracy."

Barghuti had been under massive internal and international pressure to withdraw from the campaign, after his candidacy threatened to split Fatah down the middle and derail hopes of progress in the Middle East peace process in the aftermath of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death on November 11. The 45-year-old angered Fatah's leadership on December 11 when he announced his candidacy just hours before the close of nominations. -AFP