Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will not attend Monday's meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called to discuss the upsurge in Middle East violence, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Sunday, reported AFP.
"President Arafat will not take part in the Doha conference because he must stay with his people to confront the Israeli aggression," he was quoted as telling Qatari satellite television Al Jazeera.
"President Arafat is staying with his people and we have not asked anyone to facilitate his departure."
The official was referring to an Israeli inner cabinet meeting Sunday night where Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, defense and foreign ministers Binyamin Ben Eliezer and Shimon Peres were to decide on Arafat’s travel plans.
Palestinian cabinet secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman had told AFP earlier that Arafat might not attend the OIC meeting because of the spiraling Middle East violence.
The meeting was called by Qatar, current chair of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at Arafat's request to discuss "ways of halting Israel's offensive against the Palestinian infrastructure."
The Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani asked US President George W. Bush to urge Israel to allow Arafat to attend the meeting.
Sharon was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying at Sunday’s weekly cabinet session it was unlikely Arafat would be able to take part in the conference, since he should be busy fighting “terrorism” in PA-controlled areas.
The prime minister said the PA had made no official request to leave the territories – Albawaba.com
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