Palestinian PM says Gaza shooting did not target Abbas

(15 Nov 2004) Abu Dis, West Bank - November 15, 2004 1. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia arriving at his office 2. Qureia getting out of car 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister (Q: "What's your attitude about what happened yesterday?") "What's happened, we're sorry for what's happened, but anyhow it is not targeting Abu Mazen (Abbas) personally. It is a kind of friction between some armed people from us." 4. Qureia walking into his office Gaza City - November 14, 2004 5. Various of crowd surrounding Abbas' car 6. Various of Mahmoud Abbas and other officials walking through crowd (on his left is Nasser al Qudwa, Palestinian ambassador to UN and Yasser Arafat's nephew) 7. Zoom-in to mid shot of Abbas greeting mourners 8. Wide shot of crowd 9. Abbas talking to mourners 10. Gunmen walking through crowd 11. Abbas hurried past by security, AUDIO of gunfire 12. Audio of gunfire, gunmen shouting 13. People running for cover inside mourning tent, more AUDIO of gunfire 14. Abbas surrounded by officials 15. People running, AUDIO of gunfire 16 Wide exterior of mourning tent, AUDIO of gunfire 17. Ambulances at scene 18. Security 19. Ambulances 20. Wide shot of security at tent STORYLINE: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said on Monday that the shooting incident, involving Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza the night before, was not an assassination attempt. Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas escaped unharmed after gunmen fired assault rifles burst into a tent in Gaza City where he was greeting people who had come to mourn Yasser Arafat. Two security guards died and six other people were wounded. Some of the gunmen shouted slogans calling Abbas an agent of the United States. Sunday's shooting raised grave concerns about a violent power struggle in the post-Arafat era. The violence came just hours after Palestinian officials set January 9 as the date for elections to choose a new leader - the first vote in nine years. Abbas' temporary Palestinian leadership has been trying to send a message of unity since Arafat's death Thursday. Arafat's responsibilities have been divided among several leaders, and officials held talks with rival factions in Arafat's Fatah movement and the militant opposition groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...