Sharon demands reform of Palestinian Authority before talks

Renewed efforts by the United States to restore calm in the Middle East had barely begun yesterday when they ran into difficulties as Ariel Sharon refused to budge from a set of core conditions.

The Israeli Prime Minister ­ whose troops and tanks swept into the West Bank town of Nablus yesterday, arresting hundreds of Palestinians ­ is insisting on an end to Palestinian attacks and the fundamental reform of the Palestinian Authority as preconditions for moving ahead with political negotiations.

Yesterday, Mr Sharon met separately the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East, William Burns, and Osama al-Baz, adviser to the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, but he refused to alter his stance.

Afterwards, Mr Sharon's office said he had emphasised that the "cessation of terror, violence and incitement and a thorough reform of the Palestinian Authority were conditions for progress in the diplomatic process". Mr Sharon appears unmoved by the American argument that Palestinian attacks against Israel are unlikely to end unless the Palestinians see some prospect of political progress.

Mr Burns is pressing for the main issues ­ an end to violence, Palestinian reforms and political progress ­ to be bundled together. "We believe we should move on all tracks at once," a US State Department source said. "Sharon says that they have to move on their track first ­ an end to terror and the reform of the PA."

This latest disagreement between the US and Israel was seen by the Palestinians as more evidence that Mr Sharon has no intention of seeking a political agreement.

It does not bode particularly well for the visit to the region next week of the director of the CIA, George Tenet. Mr Tenet is expected to tackle the task of overhauling Mr Arafat's plethora of security services in the hope that this will somehow bring about an end to the 20-month conflict.

Speculation among Palestinians is focusing on the possibility that the new-look security apparatus will be placed under the leadership of 42-year-old Colonel Mohammed Dahlan, Mr Arafat's security chief in the Gaza Strip, although with Mr Arafat as its overall commander.

American officials formally insist that it is up to the Palestinian leadership to choose their commanders, but it is clear that the CIA considers the colonel to be someone with whom it can work.

The Americans' positive view of the dapper and wealthy colonel, described by some Western spin doctors as part of a "reform-minded" younger generation of Palestinian leaders, is far from universal. Many Palestinians see him not only as a central figure in Mr Arafat's corrupt and inept Palestinian Authority, but as a senior player in a sprawling security apparatus which has been responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses.

The same Palestinians tend to support the chorus of demands for reforms of the Palestinian Authority, in the hope that it will deliver a far more democratic and accountable government.

Responding to this ­ and to US pressure ­ Mr Arafat has promised elections and signed a long-delayed law separating the executive from the judiciary. He is said to be planning to reshuffle his cabinet, reducing the number of ministers from 33 to 19.

The Arabic Al-Ayyam newspaper said that there are plans for the 12 Palestinian security services to be consolidated into four branches ­ internal and external security services, police and national security (a de facto army). Israel hopes that the CIA-crafted reforms will lead to a streamlined Palestinian security system, which is willing and able to stamp down on Palestinian militants, instead of participating in attacks on Israel themselves.

Mr Sharon does not seem deterred by the argument that the Palestinian security forces ­ many of whom strongly sympathise with the politics of the militant groups, if not their methods ­ are hardly likely to be willing to defend Israelis from attack by fellow Palestinians unless there is some hope of diplomatic progress.