GAZA CITY, Nov 14 (AFP) - PLO leader Mahmud Abbas on Sunday called for control of the "chaotic" situation which led to two members of the Palestinian security services being killed as he visited a mourning tent for late president Yasser Arafat in Gaza City.
"We must deal with the security situation. Some aspects of the security situation are chaotic," Abbas told journalists.
Two security men were killed and four others wounded earlier in a lengthy exchange of gunfire at Arafat's former Gaza City headquarters, in what Abbas insisted was not an assassination attempt.
"There is no political or personal dimension to what happened," said Abbas, who is favourite to succeed Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority.
A policeman at the scene said that an argument between members of the security services and members of the dominant Palestinian faction Fatah had degenerated into shooting.
"Palestinian security services must control the situation," Abbas said.
"Chaos is one of the things that leads to this kind of situation, but I am convinced that civil and police authorities will do their duty to control the situation on the ground."
Abbas said that he would continue his Gaza schedule "as planned and without any changes".
Meanwhile, increased security measures were deployed around Abbas's offices in the west of Gaza City, including jeeps and armed men conducting thorough searches of anyone wanting to enter the building, an AFP correspondent reported.
Witnesses and an AFP correspondent at the scene said that more than 1,000 people, many of them armed, were in the tent at the time of the shooting. The gunfire triggered scenes of panic as people fled the tent.
Other witnesses said that the powerful former security minister Mohammed Dahlan, who served under Abbas when he was prime minister last year, was also with Abbas at the time.
There have been widespread fears that Arafat's death could trigger an outbreak of lawlessness, especially in Gaza which has been the scene of several deadly clashes between security services and armed factions in recent months.
Gaza is the stronghold of the Islamist movement Hamas which fiercely resisted efforts by Abbas and Dahlan last year to implement a disarmament programme.
However, Hamas as well as other Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade all condemned the incident, saying it would damage the Palestinian cause.
Abbas had travelled to Gaza City after a series of political meetings in the West Bank designed to ensure a smooth transition of power.
11/14/2004 20:19 GMT - AFP