Not charismatic, but a deft and savvy operator

MIDDLE EAST: The man chosen to become the second Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr Ahmed Korei (66), is a savvy operator.

In the run-up to last week's critical session of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr Korei, its speaker, attempted to mediate between the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, and the outgoing Prime Minister, Mr Mahmoud Abbas.

Indeed, Mr Korei expressed certainty that the issues between them could be resolved without submitting Mr Abbas to a humiliating vote of confidence or the indignity of resignation.

At the same time, however, Mr Korei was sounding out European and other foreign envoys over his own acceptability as a replacement for Mr Abbas.

While stating repeatedly that he was not a candidate, Mr Korei knew full well that he was Mr Arafat's choice for the job.

Furthermore, by demanding guarantees from Israel, the US and Europe that the "road map" peace plan would be implemented as his condition for accepting the premiership, Mr Korei put the onus on them for progress in implementing the map.

Mr Abbas said he was compelled to step down because of Israel's failure to carry out its commitments and the US refusal to become fully engaged.

Elected in 1996 to the Legislative Council to represent the West Bank village of Abu Dis, near Jerusalem, Mr Korei was promptly appointed speaker by Mr Arafat. From that moment, known by his nom de guerre Abu Ala, he has had to steer a precarious course between the autocratic Mr Arafat and the often rebellious legislative branch of government.

An Arafat loyalist, Mr Korei prefers to convince Mr Arafat of the wisdom of a certain course of action rather than confront him.

This means that Mr Korei is unlikely to quarrel with Mr Arafat over control of the Palestinian security agencies, one of the issues which caused the rift between Mr Abbas and Mr Arafat, who retains overall control over security.

Mr Korei is Mr Arafat's No 2 in the Palestine Authority, his constitutionally designated successor for 60 days while preparations are made for elections to choose a new president.

Mr Abbas's appointment as premier in March demoted Mr Korei to the No 3 spot in the Authority.

Mr Korei, like Mr Abbas, is a member of the founding generation of Fateh, begun in the late 1950s by Mr Arafat. Following the Palestinian declaration of independence in 1988, Mr Korei helped to develop extensive contacts with the Israeli peace move- ment.

He eventually took part in the secret negotiations in Norway resulting in the breakthrough Oslo accord, signed on September 13th, 1993.

Although he is not a charismatic figure with a popular constitutency, Mr Korei's deft manoeuvring and plain talking have won him the respect of the Palestinians.