Abbas was to travel to Gaza City Sunday to attend "retirement ceremonies" for 10 senior security officials whose places in a new streamlined security network are to be taken by younger men, untainted by accusations of corruption.

Among those who have been relieved of their duties as part of the reshuffle announced late Saturday was Musa Arafat, a cousin of Arafat, who was head of national security in Gaza.

Another member of the old guard, General Amin al-Hindi, was standing down as head of military intelligence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Like Musa Arafat, Hindi is being given the title of military advisor to Abbas in a sign of the Palestinian Authority president's desire to avoid making unnecessary enemies.

Abbas issued a presidential decree earlier this month to reduce the number of security services from around a dozen to just three, a reform which Arafat had long spoken of but failed to implement before his death in November.

But Abbas, under pressure from the United States to deliver on his pledges of reform, finally sounded the death knell for the old guard by announcing the names of the three new heads of services.

The post of head of national security in the West Bank and Gaza went to General Suleiman Helef, while General Ahmed Abdel Karim was confirmed as military intelligence chief and General Husni Rabaya was named new national police chief.

Mandur Nawfal, a political analyst and one-time advisor to Arafat, said pressure from the Americans for security reform was instrumental in Abbas's decision.

Washington's newly-appointed security pointman for the region, General William Ward, has been holding regular talks with Abbas in recent weeks.