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RAMALLAH, Aug 18: Palestinian President Yasser Arafat made a rare acknowledgment of mistakes under his rule on Wednesday and urged reforms to end corruption after an unprecedented wave of turmoil.
It was his first such admission since internal unrest blew up last month in the greatest challenge to his authority since he returned from exile a decade ago. "There is nobody immune from mistakes, starting from me on down. Even prophets committed mistakes," said a confident-looking Arafat at his West Bank compound in his first speech to lawmakers since the troubles began.
But while he urged efforts to correct "all the mistakes", Arafat made no specific promises to satisfy demands for reforms from Palestinians frustrated at the failure of their leaders to win statehood, assuage economic crisis or assure law and order.
Yasser Arafat, still seen by Palestinians as a symbol of the struggle for a state in the West Bank and Gaza, was not personally targeted or accused of corruption by protesters.
"There were wrong actions ... by some institutions, and some were irresponsible and misused their positions," the veteran Palestinian leader said. "We need to move together to correct and reform all the mistakes."
FEARS OF CIVIL WAR: In chaotic scenes last month that raised fears of civil war, gunmen kidnapped Palestinian officials and foreigners in Gaza, burned government buildings and clashed with security forces. Violence has since died down.
Palestinian ministers said Arafat was expected to order specific changes later on Wednesday that would demonstrate a commitment to fighting corruption. "The results have to be translated into action," lawmaker Hannan Ashrawi said.
The last time Arafat made a major public admission of mistakes was in mid-2002, when he called for sweeping reforms and new elections. Neither has happened. The latest unrest partly reflects a power struggle between Arafat's old guard and a younger generation of leadership jockeying for position ahead of Israel's plan to pull troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip next year.
But Mr Arafat placed blame for the chaos squarely on Israel, saying the Jewish state had created a security vacuum. "This vacuum, which was made by the occupiers, aimed at creating a state of security chaos and unrest in the absence of the rule of law," he said.
"The occupation is mainly responsible for this situation. It should not drag us away from doing what we can to end it." A senior Hamas leader survived an Israeli assassination attempt in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday but at least five other Palestinians were killed in the explosion that tore through his home. -Reuters
