Palestinian minister blames corruption on judicial system

RAMALLAH [MENL] -- A Palestinian Authority minister has acknowledged that corruption is rampant because of the absence of an independent judiciary.

"Corruption has been rampant throughout our young authority," PA Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nabil Amr said.

Amr told a weekend symposium in Bethlehem that since its inception in 1994, the Palestinians have failed to establish an independent judiciary. He said the result has been unchecked graft and a lack of accountability.

"Financial corruption is the least of our ills," Amr said. "In our case, a greater problem is that we don't have an independent and credible justice system and we don't post the right man in the right place."

Amr acknowledged reports that the PA continues to hold 300 political prisoners, many of them suspected Islamic militants. The minister called their detention "unethical and immoral."

"We know that there is no moral basis to try those people before a court of law," he said. "We will make strenuous efforts to terminate this embarrassing chapter."

But Amr denied that the PA plans to make concessions in final status negotiations with Israel. Amr said the authority will not alter its positions to accelerate negotiations with Israel to meet a Feb. 13 deadline to complete a framework agreement on a final status accord.

"It must be clear to everyone that there can be no durable settlement with Israel without full Israeli withdrawal from the territories captured in 1967,'' Amr said.