RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath announced Sunday that the Fatah central committee would convene here Sunday to choose a candidate to run for the presidential elections in January.

    Shaath told Voice of Palestine radio that the candidate must be approved by Fatah's revolutionary council and supported by other Fatah institutions.

    Shaath, a Fatah central committee member, said "we have 13 members inside the committee and three members outside, and so the quorum is there."

    Fatah officials confirmed earlier that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee chairman Mahmoud Abbas would be the candidate.

    Meanwhile, the Central Elections Commission started from Saturday giving out application forms for the presidential
elections and the nomination period would last 10 days.

    Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Marwan Barghouti who was Fatah's secretary general in the West Bank and currently was detained in an Israeli prison, arrived at the West Bank city of Ramallah and got an application form for her husband.

    Fadwa Barghouti refused to comment on Marwan's intentions whether he would run.

    "We are preparing and waiting for any decision to be taken by Marwan," she said.  Enditem