US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Saturday that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was still the leader of the Palestinian people, amid reports that Israel was planning to eliminate the leader.
Haaretz said that that Powell’s remarks were “a gesture of support in one of the bloodiest weeks in 14 months of Middle East conflict.”
Powell, talking to reporters as he flew to the Uzbek capital Tashkent, also played down remarks on Friday by the Turkish premier, who said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had told him he wanted to "be rid of" Arafat.
Powell said he himself had previously spoken to Bulent Ecevit and the Turkish prime minister had not, to his recollection, made a similar comment about Sharon and Arafat, said the Tel Aviv-based daily.
"He (Ecevit) said to me yesterday that he had spoken to both Sharon and Arafat," Powell said.
"I don't recall him saying that to me."
Asked if he thought it was still worth negotiating with Arafat, Powell replied: "Yasser Arafat remains the chairman of the Palestinian Authority and the recognized leader of the Palestinian people.
"I think he should do more, as we've been saying, to get the violence down," he said.
Powell referred to talks that took place while he was in transit, brokered by US envoy Anthony Zinni, between Israeli and Palestinian security teams at which Israel rejected a Palestinian request that it ease retaliatory strikes mounted after suicide attacks by Palestinian militants.
"Mr. Sharon wanted such a meeting as did Mr. Arafat. So clearly both sides are anxious to see if we can put the pieces back together to start moving towards a ceasefire," Powell said.
"But this is not going to occur under circumstances of violence that have not been brought under control."
Follwing two Hamas suicide operations last week, Powell said Sunday that now was a "moment of truth" for Arafat to “rein in violence.”
Powell, speaking on CBS television's "Face the Nation" program, said he had told Arafat he should do more that “a few rounds up.”
On the same day, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld took a harder line on Arafat, questioning his leadership abilities and doubting his effectiveness – Albawaba.com
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