GAZA CITY (AFP) - PLO leader Mahmud Abbas stepped up calls to end "armed chaos" engulfing the occupied territories, as the new Palestinian leadership readied the ground for presidential elections in January.
Abbas has been locked in talks with faction leaders and security chiefs during a five-day visit to the Gaza Strip ahead of the poll to find a successor to Yasser Arafat, scheduled in seven weeks` time.
"Armed chaos must stop. I think people and officials realise the importance of controlling arms because (chaos) serves the interests of no one," he said, echoing an identical call from prime minister Ahmed Qorei.
He went on to cite Israel`s continued occupation of Palestinian territory as the biggest obstacle to holding the leadership election, due on January 9.
Arafat`s death has fuelled fears that the passing of the veteran leader could worsen an already fragile security situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, awash with weapons and sunk into a four-year uprising.
A Palestinian policeman was killed and another wounded by Israeli tank fire in eastern Gaza City on Friday, medical sources said. The military denied any involvement.
Since the Palestinian intifada flared in September 2000, 4,578 people have been killed, including 3,543 Palestinians and 961 Israelis, according to AFP.
"The Palestinian leadership has opened contacts with different countries so that the obstacles, particularly the occupation, be eliminated so that the election can go ahead normally," Abbas told Voice of Palestine radio.
He is to wrap up his Gaza visit on Saturday, before Sunday`s expected arrival of outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
"Armed chaos must cease, armed demonstrations must cease. Everybody must respect law and order," Qorei told AFP after meeting MPs and leftist groups on Thursday.
Qorei`s national security council has repeatedly called for better security in the territories, while Arafat`s mainstream Fatah party also called Thursday for "rapidly putting an end to the security chaos".
Despite reiterating that the new leadership needed to disarm "terrorist groups", even Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conceded it was a "complex process" that could not be completed overnight.
Instead, he called for an "immediate stop to hate propaganda on Palestinian television and in other media", which his spokesman said was "some kind of right of passage for the new Palestinian leadership".
But Abbas hinted that any such move should cut both ways.
"Such matters should be discussed if negotiations take place. Perhaps (propaganda) does exist among us, but it is far more of an issue among (Jewish Israelis)," he told reporters.
In Israel, Sharon came under fire from members of his right-wing Likud party, who accused him of going soft on the Palestinian militants since Arafat died.
"He always vowed to wage an uncompromising war on terrorism and then he narrows the goalposts in a way he never did before," complained deputy commerce and industry minister, Michael Ratson.
A newspaper poll said Friday that 59 percent of Israelis believe there is a "reasonable chance" of clinching peace with Arafat`s successors, although 66 percent doubt they will crack down on militants.
Abbas -- who this week failed to convince militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join the political mainstream -- is widely expected to be confirmed as Fatah`s choice as its candidate in the January 9 election.
But despite his moderate rhetoric, Abbas lacks broad popular support among Palestinians and has yet to prove he can deliver.
He resigned as Arafat`s first prime minister in September 2003, after a row with the late leader on trying to reform the sprawling security services.
As premier, he also failed to persuade militants to lay down their weapons. A ceasefire agreement he secured among factions broke down after seven weeks.
11/19/2004 - 17:19 GMT - AFP