Ramallah (West Bank), Nov 09: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said today he has formed a cabinet and will present it to parliament for approval later this week. Qureia's announcement caps weeks of political wrangling, including a standoff with veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over control of security forces. Qureia gave in on most points in order to be able to go ahead with forming the government.

Qureia and Arafat held a series of meetings in recent days, including one today. Emerging from Arafat's compound today, Qureia said: "We have finished the composition of the cabinet and we are going to present it to the Palestinian legislature on Wednesday for a vote of confidence." Bureau Report