RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Palestinian prime minister resigned Saturday in a sweeping leadership shakeup that also saw two senior officials replaced in Yasser Arafat's overhaul of his security forces - a key U.S. and Israeli demand for restarting the deadlocked peace process.
``There is a crisis. There is a state of chaos in the security situation,'' Ahmed Qureia said after announcing his resignation as premier during a Cabinet meeting in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Qureia sent his resignation letter to Arafat through an aide before the Cabinet meeting. The 74-year-old Palestinian leader, however, refused to accept it and scrawled a giant ``X'' over the paper with a pen, a Palestinian official said.
Nevertheless, Qureia said he would not withdraw the resignation, according to Minister of Local Government Jamal Shobaki.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4323028,00.html?gusrc=ticker-103704
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