File photograph of Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Yasser Arafat's number two in the ...,...

File photograph of Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Yasser Arafat's number two in the Palestine Liberation Organisation. File photograph taken May 17, 2003 of Mahmoud Abbas a possible candidate to replace Palestinian President Yasser Arafat who was described as "very, very sick" by officials on October 27, 2004. Long Arafat's number two in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Abbas, 69, co-authored interim peace deals a decade ago that gave Palestinians limited self-rule. He served as prime minister for four months in 2003, but resigned after losing a power struggle with Arafat. Abbas has avoided public attention as much as Arafat sought it. He is an outspoken critic of the use of violence during a 4-year-old uprising and tried to get Islamic militants to end attacks on Israel. Like Qurie, he