Palestinians voted Thursday in the first council elections for three decades amid a row over British Prime Minister Tony Blair's plan to prepare the birth of a democratic state at a London conference. "This is a first step towards democracy and the establishment of our future state," Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei told reporters after casting his ballot in his West Bank home town of Abu Dis.
"These elections are being held in difficult conditions. But they are a reflection of the democratic voice that we have chosen to build our Palestinian state."
Qorei was among the 140,000 registered voters electing 886 candidates in 26 municipalities across the West Bank for the first time in 28 years.
While the elections do not cover any of the main cities in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, they are seen as a highly significant test of the mainstream Fatah movement's popularity ahead of next month's presidential election. Abbas emphasised the importance he attached to the democratic process, urging voters to "rise to the challenge" and turn out in force on Thursday.
"You are determining your future in these elections and you are deciding on the running of your own municipal affairs in a democratic manner without outside interference and under the shadow of the problems created by the Israeli occupation," he said in a statement.
Blair told Abbas on Tuesday that he wanted to host a conference in March to help forge democratic institutions which would ensure the viability of a future state for the Palestinians and their status as "a proper partner for peace".
Abbas had welcomed the prospect of a conference but Qorei said some of Blair's comments were "unacceptable".
"We have heard ... about his wish to host a conference to groom the Palestinians to take part in the peace process," Qorei said in a statement.
"We reject these unacceptable declarations for we are already groomed and we have the necessary means and expertise to negotiate."
Hamas also criticised the conference, saying its aim was "to intensify the pressure on the Palestinian Authority to undertake structural reforms for the benefit of Israel."
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