Quartet 'sick and tired' of Arafat

The quartet of Middle East mediators are "sick and tired" of Palestinians failing to carry out reforms and told them yesterday to "act soon or risk losing international support," diplomats said.

Envoys from the United States, United Nations, the European Union and Russia told Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia they have run out of patience with Arafat's "empty promises" of reform and that he is putting the so-called Palestinian cause at risk.

The envoys refused to meet directly with Arafat.

"If security reforms are not done, there will be no international support and no funding from the international community," a senior diplomat close to the talks in the West Bank city of Ramallah said.

In a statement, the quartet said action was crucial to "seize the opportunity represented by Israel's Gaza withdrawal."

The demand for reforms echoed a similar call from Egypt, which recently told Arafat to step aside, reform Palestinian security forces and give real power to a prime minister. Egypt first gave Arafat until June 15, but changed the deadline to the middle of August, or else they said his fate will be "left to Ariel Sharon."

In another sign of growing pressure for change within the Palestinian leadership, results from a recent local Fatah election for district representatives in the Gaza Strip showed reformers gaining the majority of votes, Fatah officials said.

Some Fatah sources said Arafat was dismayed by the Gaza results, and that he originally tried to obstruct the election.

Arafat has throughout the years thwarted all attempts at trying to seize his power, and still maintains a tight grip on security forces and Palestinian terrorist organizations.