Arafat to Attend Arab Summit in Beirut: Official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 28, 2002

Arafat to Attend Arab Summit in Beirut: Official

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A senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday that Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat would attend the annual Arab summit, due to be held in the Lebanese capital Beirut on March 27-28.

At a meeting with Arab and foreign diplomats in the Palestinian territories, PNA Planning Minister Nabil Shaath said "I believe that President Arafat would finally be able to leave Ramallah and participate in the Arab Summit in Beirut."

Arafat has been confined in the West Bank city of Ramallah since early December by Israel, who demands that he arrests the suspected assassins of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi and brings them to trial.

"It is a shame for Israel to challenge the world's will and continue the blockade on President Arafat," Shaath said.

The Palestinian minister revealed that the PNA has been in contact with the Saudi Arabian leadership since last July, adding that the Palestinian resolution presented to the United Nations is based on the Saudi Mideast peace initiative.

He praised the peace initiative, saying that "it is the recent international initiative to bring peace to the region and would end all the Israeli games that [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon plays."

During the meeting, Shaath also briefed the diplomats on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.

Shaath told them that the PNA suffers from a severe financial crisis, adding that the PNA would need 45 million U.S. dollars to pay the salaries of its employees for March.

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