The Palestinian businessman, Munib al Masri, who has reportedly been nominated by the Palestinian president, Yaser Arafat, for the post of Prime Minister, hinted that he would accept the post should it be offered to him. However, he told to Albawaba.com that no official offer was made to him in that respect.
“The acceptance of such a post needs discussions and consultations with the family, friends and allies,” Masri told Albawaba.com, speaking from Ramallah. He noted “I love my homeland and willing to serve my people from any location or post.”
The Palestinian tycoon, who maintains strong and longstanding ties with Arafat, stressed “In fact, I heard the news report from the media…No official contacts were made with me in that concern.”
The European Union, the United States, United Nations and Israel, which wants Arafat’s role to be just honorary, consider the creation of the PA Prime Minister post a crucial issue.
Masri considered the issue a positive step, but added that it was exaggerated. “The decision is not bad and is a step in the right direction but it has been inflated. It is not going to be the magic stick that will solve all the Palestinian problems,” said Masri.
Israeli media cited Tuesday Palestinian sources as saying that Arafat was considering the appointment of Masri as PA Prime Minister at the upcoming Palestinian Central Council meeting, due to be held next Saturday.
However, Palestinian sources revealed that Fatah movement central committee meetings witnessed violent disputes between the committee members and president Arafat over the issue. Sources said while the Fatah central committee members insisted that the Prime Minister should be one of them, Arafat insisted that he should come from outside the committee.
Additionally, Masri turned down the notion in order to avoid conflict with the PLO powerful members as was confirmed to Albawaba.com by close sources to the businessman who is member in many Fatah, PLO and Palestinian Legislative Council committees.
Masri is married to an American lady and is one of the wealthiest Palestinians. He has strong relations with the United State and some Israeli circles. Previously, he played an intermediary role between Arafat and the former Israeli Prime Minster, Benjamin Natanyahu in the mid 1990s. He also played a vital role during September events in Jordan in the early seventies when he mediated between the then Jordanian government and the Palestinian resistance and secured safe departure for Arafat from Jordan. Ties between Masri and Arafat go back to 1963.
For Arafat, the wealthy businessman is considered a safety valve for the many crises, which have repeatedly erupted between the PLO and some Arab countries.
Reports suggest that Masri acquired a large portion of his wealth from the American army tenders in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries. Masri is currently chairman of Palestinian Development and Investment Company (Padico) and owns many investment projects in the Arab world in addition to his investments in the West Bank and Gaza strip.
In addition to Padico, Masri’s investments in Palestine include financing, consulting and electronic industrial companies as well as investments in the in tourism, including the Bethlehem Intercontinental Hotel. Some sources estimate Masri’s investments in Palestine to account for half a billion dollars. (Albawaba.com)
