Palestinian Officials Deny Alleged Graft

Members of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s Cabinet appeared before the Palestinian Legislative Council in the West Bank city of Ramallah and denied allegations of corruption and mismanagement. “I am not coming to defend myself, because all the charges are lies,” said Nabil Shaath, Arafat’s planning minister and peace negotiator. A legislative committee has recommended that Shaath and two other ministers be brought to trial. The panel’s report, which was issued Tuesday, found extensive abuses in all 18 Palestinian government ministries. The report urged Arafat to “form a new Cabinet made up of technocrats and qualified people.”