Palestinian President Yasser Arafat announced his Palestinian Authority would set the date for new presidential and legislative elections within the next few days.
"The municipal elections will be held as soon as possible and legislative and presidential elections will be held in either December or January," Arafat said in an address to his new cabinet which was pared down as part of a broader reform of the Palestinian Authority.
"In the next few days we will issue an official order to set the date for these elections," he said at the start of the cabinet session, held at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Mr Arafat has pledged to consolidate at least nine Palestinian security services and to hold new elections by early 2003 as part of the reforms called for by Palestinian lawmakers, the United States and Israel.
His new cabinet of 21 ministers is an interim government until new elections are held.