Arafat Says Mideast Situation "Very Dangerous"

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 26, 2001

Arafat Says Mideast Situation "Very Dangerous"

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said here on Sunday that the current situation in the Middle East was "very dangerous," calling for effective international efforts to halt Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians.

"The latest situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is very dangerous and would become so explosive that the security and stability in the region would be endangered," Arafat told Xinhua after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

He condemned Israel's continued atrocities on the Palestinians, especially the killing of Palestinian children and activists, warning that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was dragging the region into "abyss and war."

"Such Israeli actions have blocked the ongoing international efforts to prevent the situation from further worsening," Arafat said, calling on the world community to take effective measures to stop Israeli aggressions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He demanded that the perpetrators responsible for invading Palestinian self-rule areas, demolishing Palestinian villages and towns, and assassinating Palestinians be brought to justice without exception.

"If the world community keeps silence over Israel's aggressions, it would bring about serious consequences not only for the Mideast region, but for the whole world," he said.

He stressed that a comprehensive and fair solution to the Palestine issue is the only way to achieve peace and stability in the region.

He slammed Sharon for trying to obstruct a new U.S. peace initiative in an attempt to impose a de facto occupation of the Palestinian territories before an upcoming mission by two U.S. envoys.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and retired general Anthony Zinni are due in the Mideast region on Monday in a fresh diplomatic effort to help end the 14-month-old Palestinian- Israeli conflict, which has left nearly 1,000 people dead, most of them the Palestinians.

"We will safeguard our homeland and will never allow Israel to achieve its plot to impose their will on the Palestinians," Arafat said.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has unveiled a more robust U.S. approach toward the region on the basis of U.S. President George W. Bush's endorsement of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Terming as "the best so far" the new U.S. stance on the Palestine issue, Arafat expected the U.S. administration to put into effect Powell's speech and help secure a peace in the region, where both the Palestinians and Israelis could live side by side.

Arafat, who arrived here Sunday morning, briefed Mubarak on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories. His visit came as part of the intensive contacts by Mubarak at Arab and international levels after Powell's statements, Egyptian officials said.

After a brief stay in Egypt, Arafat has travelled on to Saudi Arabia, and later Jordan.

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