Ramallah, Oct 09: A Palestinian Parliament session where new Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was to outline his programme of government has been delayed indefinitely, acting speaker Ibrahim Abu al-Naja said today. "Because of differences in opinion about the government, it has been decided to postpone the session indefinitely," he told deputies.
The deputies had earlier been locked in closed-door talks about whether Qorei and his eight ministers, who were appointed in an emergency decree by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday, needed a formal vote of approval.
Independent MP Hanan Ashrawi had earlier said that there was a division over whether a vote of confidence was needed.
"There are two schools of thought," she told.
"First, this cabinet is part of the state of emergency and so therefore no vote of confidence is needed. But others do not approve of the state of emergency and believe it should be a regular government" which requires parliamentary approval, she said. Bureau Report