The European Union (EU) on Wednesday urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to give more power to his prime minister.

"We have always advocated that the (Palestinian) prime minister be given basic powers so he can carry out his job, namely with respect to security and economic matters," said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana after a meeting with Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Monteiro.

While realizing that Arafat has transferred some economic power to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, Solana said the EU would continue to urge the Palestinian leader to give up greater power in terms of security.

Qurei returned to work Wednesday after withdrawing the resignation he tendered to Arafat on July 17, indicating the political crisis within the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was over.

"The president has refused my resignation and I will comply," Qurei told a news conference after a three-hour PNA cabinet meeting held in the West Bank town of Ramallah with attendance of the cabinet's members and Arafat.

According to a Palestinian official who attended the meeting, Arafat had agreed to give Qurei more power over security affairs.

Meanwhile, Arafat also agreed to a crackdown on corruption.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2004)