.   .   .  .   THE OFFICIAL
WORD NOW FROM RAMALLAH ON THE
NEW PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER
MAHMOUD ABBAS ALSO KNOWN AS ABU
MAZEN LET'S GO RIGHT TO RAMALLAH
ON THE WEST BANK THAT'S WHERE
CNN'S KELLY WALLACE HAS THE
DETAILS KELLY.  .  .  .  
WOLFE THERE WAS OF THE IN THE
PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT JUST
MOMENTS AGO AND IT IS OFFICIAL
ABU MAZEN HAS ACT SCENES ON
MAJORITY IN THE PALESTINIAN
PARLIAMENT.   HE AND HIS
CABINET HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED.  
THE FINAL NUMBERS RIGHT NOW
FIFTY ONE OF THE EIGHTY THREE
CURRENT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
VOTING FOR ABU MAZEN AND HIS
CABINET EIGHTEEN AGAINST THREE
ABSTAINED.   THERE ARE SOME
OTHER NUMBERS THOUGH LIKELY
OTHER MEMBERS.   WE DON'T HAVE
EXACTLY HOW THEY VOTED THIS A
VERY CRITICAL STEP BECAUSE THE
UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN HAVE
SAID THAT ONCE ABU MAZENS
CABINET IS APPROVED BY THE
PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT THEN THE
SO CALLED ROAD MAP FOR MIDDLE
EAST PEACE PAVING THE WAY FOR
THE CREATION OF THE PALESTINIAN
STATE BY TWO THOUSAND FIVE WILL
BE PUBLISHED SO WE EXPECT THAT
ROAD MAP WOLFE TO BE PUBLISHED
SOMETIME POSSIBLY THIS WEEK.  
STILL SOME BIG CHALLENGES AHEAD
THOUGH FOR THE NOW NEW PRIME
MINISTER OF THE PALESTINIAN
AUTHORITY ABU MAZEN NUMBER ONE
WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY ABU
MAZEN IN HIS STATEMENT TODAY
REJECTED TERRORISM IN ALL FORMS
CALLING FOR AN END TO TERROR
ATTACKS AGAINST ISRAEL.   BUT
THE RADICAL PALESTINIAN GROUP
SAY THEY WILL NOT DISARM UNTIL
ISRAELI OCCUPATION COMES TO AN
END AND THEN WOLFE THERE IS THAT
CHALLENGE OF THE POWER STRUGGLE
IF THERE CONTINUES TO BE ONE
BETWEEN ABU MAZEN AND THE
PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER
ARAFAT THERE WAS A TENSE BATTLE
LAST WEEK WHICH LED TO OF
COMPROMISE AND LED TO THE
PRESIDENT EVENTUALLY SUPPORTING
THIS CABINET BUT THE AMERICANS
AND THE ISRAELIS WOLFE WILL BE
WATCHING CLOSELY TO SEE IF
YASSER ARAFAT IS WIELDING ANY
POWER BEHIND THE SCENES THE
ISRAELIS ARE SO FAR ISSUING THE
VERY CAUTIOUS RESPONSE.   THEY
SAY THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT
HAPPENS ON THE GROUND
DECLARATIONS ARE ONE THING.  
ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY THEY WANT
TO SEE ACTUAL TANGIBLE RESULTS
ON THE GROUND AND IF THEY SEE
THAT IN THE WORDS OF THE FOREIGN
MINISTER SOME ON SHALOM
PALESTINIANS WILL SEE IN THE
ISRAELIS A TRUE PARTNER IN PEACE
. WOLFE BACK TO YOU.   KELL
KELLY ONE INTRIGUING DEVELOPMENT
FOR ABU MAZEN NOW NOW THAT HE'S
THE NEW PRIME MINISTER THE
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY THE
ISRAELIS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT HE
WOULD BE WELCOME TO COME TO
JERUSALEM MEET WITH PRIME
MINISTER SHARON.   THERE'S BEEN
WORD HERE IN WASHINGTON
PRESIDENT BUSH MIGHT BE WILLING
TO RECEIVE HIM AT THE WHITE
HOUSE SOMETHING HE'S REFUSED TO
DO WITH YASSER ARAFAT OVER THE
PAST COUPLE YEARS.   WHAT IS
ABU MAZEN AND HIS ASSOCIATES
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF MEETINGS BETWEEN
THE NEW PRIME MINISTER AND THE
PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL AND THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WELL WOLFE FIRST WHEN IT COMES
TO THE PRESIDENT AND UNITED
STATES IS VERY INTERESTING ABU
MAZEN SAYING JUST ON SUNDAY THAT
HE WILL NOT TRAVEL ABROAD TO
MEET WITH INTERNATIONAL LEADERS
UNTIL ISRAEL LIFTS ITS TRAVEL
RESTRICTIONS THE CURRENT
RESTRICTIONS ON THE PALESTINIAN
PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT AND SO
THE SENSE IS ABU MAZEN IS
SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE WHITE
HOUSE THAT HE WON'T TRAVEL TO
THE WHITE HOUSE TO MEET WITH
PRESIDENT BUSH UNTIL ISRAEL
LOOSENS THOSE RESTRICTIONS ON
YASSER ARE PUPPET ISRAELI
OFFICIALS INDICATE THEY ARE NOT
LIKELY TO DO.   NOW THE
QUESTION OF COURSE WILL ABU
MAZEN MEET SOON WITH PRIME
MINISTER ARIEL SHARON HE IS
LIKELY TO BUT OTHER CHALLENGE
WHICH I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED
WOLFE IS WHAT YOU'RE POINTING
OUT THE AMERICANS AND THE
ISRAELIS HAVE EMBRACED ABU MAZEN
AND THAT HAS LEAD TO SOME
CONCERN ON THE STREETS HERE IN
THE PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY SOME
PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT EXTERNAL
FORCES AMERICAN AND ISRAELI
PRESSURE TO SEE YASSER ARAFAT
SIDELINED PAVE THE WAY FOR ABU
MAZENS APPOINTMENTS SO ABU MAZEN
DOESN'T WANT WORD HERE IN THE
WORDS OF SOME AS A TOOL OR
PUPPET AND THE AMERICANS AND THE
ISRAELI ADMINISTRATION'S AT THE
SAME TIME OF COURSE HE WANTS TO
HAVE THAT INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
. SO IT'S GOING TO BE OF REAL
BALANCING ACT FOR THIS NEW PRIME
MINISTER BUT WE DO EXPECT AT
LEAST A MEETING WITH THE PRIME
MINISTER OF ISRAEL TO LIKELY
TAKE PLACE IN THE COMING DAYS
AHEAD.   WOLFE.   ALL RIGHT
KELLY WALLACE OFFICIAL WORD FROM
THE PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT ABU
MAZEN AND HIS CABINET RATIFIED
THEY'RE APPROVED THERE'S THE NEW
POP PRIME MINISTER OF THE
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY SETTING
THE STAGE POSSIBLY FOR
RESUMPTION OF ISRAELI
PALESTINIAN PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT BUSH AND
THE US ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEEN
PUSHING FOR FOR SOME TIME.