In apparently conciliatory statements Tuesday, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Jordanian foreign minister stressed the need to restore calm and return to peace negotiations with Israel.
Arafat, speaking after a meeting in Gaza City with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib, said: "Among the fundamental points we discussed was the importance of returning the situation to the way it was."
"Israel should remember they voted for peace and they should preserve that," said Arafat, who received a letter from Jordan's King Abdullah II.
Arafat and other officials have called for the Intifada or uprising against Israel to continue until the Palestinians achieve their goal of an independent state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip with east Jerusalem as its capital.
"The situation must be restored to what it was before to increase the appropriate atmosphere to resume negotiations and the peace process, which is a way to achieve Palestinian national rights," said Khatib -- GAZA CITY (AFP)
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