US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday decided to quit his position, Sky TV reported. Powell expected to stay in office until President Bush names new Secretary of State.
Before this development, Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath on Monday told AFP Powell is planning to meet with the new Palestinian leadership during a visit to the West Bank next week. "Colin Powell is coming to the Palestinian territories -- Ramallah and probably Gaza -- on the 23rd (of November) to meet with the Palestinian leadership," Shaath conveyed.
According to the Palestinian official, Powell was to meet the new Palestine Liberation Organisation chairman Mahmud Abbas and the prime minister Ahmed Qurei during his visit.
Abbas himself on Monday met security chiefs in Gaza City. Earlier, he held talks with Shaath and social affairs minister Intisar al-Wazir. On Sunday evening, shots were fired by armed men in a site where Abbas stayed but he was unhurt.
The shooting was condemned by Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. (albawaba.com)
