Radical Palestinian groups pledge more fighting, condemn cease-fire attempts

The Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Promising no peace for Israel, radical Palestinian groups meeting in the Syrian capital on Sunday criticized as a "waste of time" attempts by Yasser Arafat and Israel to shore up a cease-fire and said the year-old uprising will intensify.

"The uprising will continue and get stronger, despite U.S. attempts to bring calm to the Middle East region and to put the Palestinian cause on the ice," said Ahmed Jibril, secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, one of the eight Syrian-based Palestinian movements that reject peace with Israel.

Their leaders met at a one-day Palestinian gathering to support the uprising.

Jibril said the Palestinians will "never allow calm to return to the region, as the U.S. and Israel want."

"The core of the conflict in the region and the world is the Palestinian cause and without a just and outspoken solution to this issue, neither the Middle East region nor the whole world will enjoy calm," he told the gathering.

Abu Moussa, leader of Fatah-Intefadeh, denounced as a "farce and waste of time" the meeting Wednesday between Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, saying such attempts at a cease-fire will never be able to put an end to the uprising.

"Armed struggle will continue and such meetings, which are held according to Zionist will and under American orders, will be of no avail," he said.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said according to the Wednesday agreement, a truce was to take effect Friday, with various elements being implemented over the following four days. But since then, each side has accused the other of breaking its promises. Since that meeting, 18 Palestinians and no Israelis have been killed.

In Damascus, Khaled Mishaal, head of the Hamas political bureau, also denounced the Arafat-Peres meeting, saying Israel "does not understand the language of negotiations but rather that of force and resistance."

Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said the gathering Sunday was a show of solidarity with the Palestinians and an expression of "our resolution to keep the uprising going."

Relations between Syria and Arafat's Palestinian Authority soured rapidly this week, after Arafat on Tuesday failed to show up on a long-awaited official visit to Damascus. Both sides blamed each other for the abrupt cancellation of his trip.

The Syrians said Arafat asked for the delay so he could prepare for a meeting with Peres; the Palestinians claimed it was Syria that came under pressure from Washington.

Arafat's planned visit had been seen by Syria as a signal the Palestinian leader was contemplating hardening his stance toward Israel. Arafat has for years relied on Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab states at peace with Israel, for backing and mediation. Syria, in contrast, leads the camp opposed to concessions to Israel.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, protesting university students denounced Israel and the United States in support of the Palestinian uprising and against expected U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, whose ruling Taliban are accused of harboring terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Police quelled the demonstration, which occurred at Munufiya University, about 60 miles north of the capital, Cairo.

The students chanted "America, stop deployment, Islam will prevail," and burned Israeli and American flags.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2001