Abbas, 69, has been PLO's second-in-command since 1996 when he was elected secretary of the organization's Executive Committee.
Abbas was among the pioneers of the Palestinian national struggle. He was born in the town of Safad in the Galilee before the creation of Israel and his family was evicted in 1948 to Syria.
He holds a bachelor's degree in law from Egyptian University and a Ph.D. from a Russian university.
He joined the PLO's mainstream Fatah movement in the late 1960s and gained a seat on the Palestinian National Council, or parliament-in-exile, in 1968.
Abbas has no significant popularity among the Palestinian people and he is often referred to as the "white collar struggler" for failing to assume any field or military responsibility over more than four decades.
He has always kept a low profile although he succeeded in establishing a strong network of Arab and international relations and was among the most successful fundraisers for the PLO.
Abbas hit the limelight in the early 1990s for his role in orchestrating secret negotiations that led to the Oslo peace accords in 1993.
Abbas accompanied Arafat to the White House for the signing ceremony and returned to the Palestinian territories from exile in 1995.
He had no official status in the Palestinian Authority until April 2003 when Arafat appointed him as the first Palestinian prime minister. He remained in office for 100 days, resigning over differences with Arafat on reforms.
Abbas is know for his opposition to the militarization of the Palestinian intifada, or uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.
Copyright 2004 by United Press International
