RAMALLAH, West Bank – Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (search) said on Monday he stood by his resignation letter and called on Yasser Arafat to "appoint the right men to the right posts" in the security services.
Speaking after a meeting of his Cabinet, Qureia said the dispute with Arafat over his resignation remained unresolved.
"I have not received a written response," Qureia said, indicating that he did not accept Arafat's verbal rejection of his resignation.
He said he wanted to resign because of "the state of chaos and loss of control over the security situation" in the Gaza Strip (search), which he said was only benefiting the Palestinians' enemies in Israel.
Qureia said a Cabinet committee would leave for Gaza later Monday to meet Palestinian factions "so we can rise above the conflict."
Qureia spoke after Arafat announced a series of security appointments over the weekend, including naming his cousin and longtime aide Moussa Arafat (search) to a top position in the Gaza Strip.
The appointment was met with widespread protests, since Moussa Arafat is strongly identified with what many Palestinians consider the corruption rampant in the established leadership.
On Monday, Arafat backed down and asked Abdel Razek Majaide (search), the ousted Palestinian chief of security, to return to his job.
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