RAMALLAH, July 19: Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei said on Monday that the resignation he submitted to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over the ongoing security crisis was still "effective".

"I submitted my resignation for obvious reasons, because of the security chaos and I have not received any reply from President Arafat. "My resignation is accordingly still effective," he told reporters after an emergency meeting of the Palestinian cabinet here.

Qorei submitted his resignation to Arafat on Saturday after an unprecedented spate of kidnappings in the Gaza Strip but the Palestinian leader has so far refused to accept it.

The premier has been battling for months for greater control of the Palestinian security services but Arafat has so far been reluctant to release his grip which enables him to exercise the lion's share of power in the territories.

Arafat slashed the number of security services from eight to three at the weekend but the move triggered widespread protests as his cousin Musa was named as head of the general security branch - a move which was effectively reversed on Monday when a new overall head of general security was named. "This is the time for all our institutions to work efficiently, this is the time to appoint the right people to the right positions," Mr Qorei said. -AFP