MIDDLE EAST: AL-QAEDA PRESENCE IN TERRITORIES, SAYS ABBAS

London, 2 March (AKI) - Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has warned that al-Qaeda is trying to establish a foothold in Gaza and the West Bank. "We have indications about a presence of al-Qaeda in Gaza and the (West) Bank. This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests," Abbas said in remarks published on Thursday in the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat.

"The last security report I received was three days ago. This is the first time that I've spoken about this subject. This is a very serious matter," he added.

Israeli officials have in the past said they were worried that foreign militants and al-Qaeda agents had entered Gaza from Egypt during a brief period of chaos on the border following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza last year. The Palestinian Authority had denied the reports.

Abbas also said Thursday that he intends to transfer broad security powers to the future Hamas government, including the national defence branch, preventive security, the civilian police and civil defence.

The national defence branch, which consists of 25,000 policemen, is the largest branch and is defined as the Palestinian army. The other three are subject to the Palestinian Interior Ministry.

Israel and many in the West including the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organisation and insist there can be no negotiations with the Islamist group unless it renounces violence and recognises the Jewish state.