AlJazeera.net (Qatar) : "Abbas endorsed as Fatah chief"

Abbas endorsed as Fatah chief

Abbas, who took over as party chief after the 2004 death of Yasser Arafat, will retain his position [AFP]

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been re-elected as leader of the Fatah movement by delegates attending the party conference in Bethlehem.

Abbas, who stood unopposed for the position, was elected by consensus on Saturday through a show of hands from the 2,300 delegates attending the conference.

Technically Abbas is elected for five years - until a new conference is announced -but as this is the first time Fatah members have met in two decades, it is not clear how long his mandate will actually last.

The party also decided to extend its conference until Tuesday, saying it needed more time to discuss its political programme and elect members to various committees.

The conference in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem is Fatah's first congress for 20 years and the first on Palestinian soil.

'Wind of change'

The conference, originally scheduled to last for three days, is seen as an opportunity for Fatah to restructure and rejuvenate itself.

There are hopes among the delegates that some of the old guard, often accused of corruption, will make way for younger members of the party, founded by Yasser Arafat, the iconic Palestinian leader, in 

Abbas endorsed as Fatah chief

Abbas, who took over as party chief after the 2004 death of Yasser Arafat, will retain his position [AFP]

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been re-elected as leader of the Fatah movement by delegates attending the party conference in Bethlehem.

Abbas, who stood unopposed for the position, was elected by consensus on Saturday through a show of hands from the 2,300 delegates attending the conference.

Technically Abbas is elected for five years - until a new conference is announced -but as this is the first time Fatah members have met in two decades, it is not clear how long his mandate will actually last.

The party also decided to extend its conference until Tuesday, saying it needed more time to discuss its political programme and elect members to various committees.

The conference in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem is Fatah's first congress for 20 years and the first on Palestinian soil.

'Wind of change'

The conference, originally scheduled to last for three days, is seen as an opportunity for Fatah to restructure and rejuvenate itself.

There are hopes among the delegates that some of the old guard, often accused of corruption, will make way for younger members of the party, founded by Yasser Arafat, the iconic Palestinian leader, in..........
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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/08/20098812.....



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