Arafat Not to Declare Palestinian Statehood at UN Meeting |
 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not unilaterally declare the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in his address to the upcoming UN General Assembly special meeting, said Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabou Wednesday.
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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not unilaterally declare the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in his address to the upcoming UN General Assembly special meeting, said Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabou Wednesday.
"The Palestinian leadership will never adopt any unilateral steps or take anyone by surprise," the minister told reporters.
In his speech to the UN meeting, Arafat will urge the international community to provide protection to the Palestinian people and step in to stop the current violence as a prelude to relaunching the peace talks, he added.
The London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported on Sunday that Arafat would declare the establishment of an independent Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly session in the light of the growing international support for the idea in general.
On Monday, the Palestine Legislative Council called on Arafat to declare the Palestinian statehood immediately.
The issue has aroused concern from Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who cautioned Arafat not to declare statehood unilaterally, warning the proposed statehood, if otherwise
declared, would have no recognized international borders.
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