Hana Siniora, a Palestinian newspaper publisher said on Monday he was named the Palestinian Authority's (PA) new representative in Washington.
A high-ranking member of Arafat's Fatah movement said he had heard of plans to appoint Siniora, aged 65, and said there was firm opposition to the choice in Fatah.
Siniora, editor and publisher of the Palestinian newspaper The Jerusalem Times, said he would begin his posting in October.
"My plans, first and foremost, are to rebuild Palestinian-American relations with the Bush administration," Siniora told The Associated Press. Moreover, Siniora said he also intended to lobby for support for the Palestinians and increase contacts with the Palestinian and Arab communities in the United States.
Siniora, a Christian Palestinian, has long been involved in peace efforts and was a prominent figure during the first Palestinian uprising in the 1980s.
At the time, he promoted non-violent opposition to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including a boycott on Israeli goods and a tax revolt. Siniora also attended the 1990 Madrid Peace Conference.
During June 2002, Siniora was one of some 50 prominent Palestinians, who took out a full-page newspaper advertisement condemning suicide bombings. In the ad, published by the leading Palestinian daily Al Quds, the Palestinians urged activists to "stop sending our young people to carry out such attacks".
The outgoing Palestinian representative, Hassan Abdel Rahman, served in the US capital for over ten years. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
