Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Tuesday that he might run for presidential elections to be held in mid-January 2003 only if the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee ask him to do so.
Arafat said in an interview with the Egyptian Satellite Television, which aired in the program Good Morning Egypt on Wednesday morning, that if the PLO executive committee asks him to run for elections, he would do.
During the interview, Arafat hailed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's position for telling Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer on Monday that replacing Arafat would make the situation more complicated.
"Egypt is actually playing a very important role by the leadership of President Mubarak," said Arafat. "President Mubarak told Ben Eliezer that Egypt oppose sidelining me and choosing an alternative leadership."
Additionally, Arafat rejected the Israeli allegations that he transferred US$5 million to his personal accounts in Europe, adding that he decided to sue the Israeli newspaper that made that claim.
However, Arafat admitted that the money was transferred to the offices of the PLO all over the world, since the Palestinian diplomats had not been paid their salaries for more than a year. Arafat took some documents from his jacket's pocket to approve that the money was transferred via the Arab Bank to the PLO offices, adding that what the Israeli daily said was "lies and forged."
Arafat also explained his readiness to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "despite what the Israeli army is doing against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." "If he (Sharon) really wants peace, I'm willing to meet him. But I'm sorry to say that this man doesn't want peace," said Arafat. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
