ARAFAT - Will declare Palestinian state this weekend?

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Ha'aretz

23:12 06/11/2001

Last update - 00:13 07/11/2001

Bush, Arafat will not meet at UN; PA chairman to declare state

By Aluf Benn and Daniel Sobelman, Ha'aretz Correspondents, and agencies

U.S. President George W. Bush has no plans to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this weekend, the White House said Tuesday. "There are no plans for any such meeting," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters in response to a question at his daily briefing.

Meanwhile, a report the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper said Tuesday that Arafat is considering unilaterally declaring the creation of a Palestinian state when he addresses the UN General Assembly in New York over the weekend.

According to the report, Arafat believes that he will have the backing of many states, and that such a declaration will help him create a new reality on the ground.

The report, based on sources deeply involved in the Palestinian-Israel conflict, points out that if Arafat does indeed declare a Palestinian state, it would likely cause a split amidst countries in the world in the war against terror. The newspaper also said that the chances of a meeting between Arafat and U.S. President George Bush are small, as the president refuses to meet the Palestinian Chairman before he meets with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The report also says that the Arab bloc's most important priority, namely the Palestinian issue, is an effort to arrange a meeting between Arafat and President Bush.

Peres expresses doubt over reports of Arafat declaration Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told Army Radio on Tuesday he had not heard of any such plan to declare a Palestinian state, but that if there was one, he did not believe Arafat would ultimately go ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence. "If Arafat does this," Peres said, "he will be taking a huge risk, because it will be a Palestinian state without borders."

Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi (Ta'al), a former personal advisor to Arafat, said that Arafat could not go ahead with a declaration of independence without first taking the matter to the required Palestinian institutions. "Until now," Tibi said, "this idea has not been rediscussed by the appropriate PLO forums. Generally, when such a decision is made, at least the PLO central committee has to okay it and vote on it."

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres presented his diplomatic vision to European Union officials in Brussels on Tuesday, telling them that a Palestinian state was in Israel's interest.

Peres told members of the EU's "troika," which is composed of three rotating European foreign ministers, that an independent, economically thriving Palestinian state that lives in peace with its neighbors is a clear Israeli interest.

Peres also said that the United States should work to reduce the differences between Israel and the Palestinians, and to fill an important role in closing the gaps between declarations made by Arafat and actual steps taken against terror activity.

The foreign minister criticized the Belgian legislation that had allowed a complaint to be filed against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on charges of war crimes. Peres said that he doubted the ability of the Belgian judges to understand the situation in Israel, a situation in which politicians were forced to make difficult decisions. "I seriously doubt that one country can judge another country," Peres said. "What can a Belgian judge know about suicide bombers?" Peres asked.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2001


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