New Palestinian Liberation Organization head Mahmud Abbas was slated Sunday to visit Gaza for a series of meetings with local activists to discuss the situation arising out of the death of Yasser Arafat, political sources in the Strip said. Abbas will meet representatives of 13 factions active in the Strip, including the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, who enjoy wide support in Gaza. The meetings will be unofficial at first, moving onto a formal level after the mourning period for Arafat ends later this week, the sources said. Abbas, a former Palestinian premier, was elected PLO head on Thursday, to replace Arafat, whose death was announced hours previously. He is expected to be front-runner in the Palestinian presidential elections scheduled to be held within the next two months.
