RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The chief PLO negotiator has presented his resignation to the Palestinian president and PLO leadership, officials in Ramallah announced Saturday. Saeb Erekat (pic) resigned because of his responsibility for a series of disclosures, PLO secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo said.
Erekat, who has been at the center of negotiations since 1991, told AFP he was assuming "responsibility for the theft of documents" that had been "deliberately" tampered with.
The announcement came a week after Erekat told Ma'an he would resign if investigators found that 1,600 pages of maps, memos, and minutes obtained by Al-Jazeera originated in his office.
There was no immediate reaction from President Mahmoud Abbas or the PLO executive committee, but an official in Erekat's office told Ma'an that Abbas accepted the decision.
"The resignation is no longer pending approval ... Abbas accepted it personally," the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
He added that Erekat "felt personal responsibility for the Palestine papers fiasco."
The files expose concessions to Israel in 10 years of secret peace talks, embarrassing and angering Abbas' leadership. Erekat in January accused Al-Jazeera of trying to discredit the peace process and provoke a revolt.
In the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials welcomed Erekat's announcement.
His decision to resign "shows that the leaked documents were authentic," party spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said, urging the PLO to halt all negotiations with Israel.
Erekat has pointed to a possible US-Israeli effort to topple the PA because of its refusal to take part in US-brokered direct peace talks unless Israel halts West Bank settlement construction.
The talks have been suspended since September.
The files allege that Palestinian negotiators offered unprecedented concessions during talks, including on the ultra-sensitive subjects of Jerusalem and refugees, with nothing in return from Israel.
They also show PA members closely cooperating with Israel in its fight against Hamas.
