Powell Reviewing Meeting With Arafat After Jerusalem Blast

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, April 14, 2002

Powell Reviewing Meeting With Arafat After Jerusalem Blast

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U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been reviewing whether to go ahead with talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after a Palestinian suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported.

Hours after the suicide bombing, U.S. State Department spokesmanRichard Boucher said that Powell was deliberating over his plans for Saturday, when he was due to meet Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The White House has called on Arafat to denounce the bombing, carried out by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing affiliated to his mainstream Fatah Movement.

The suicide bombing attack, killing six and wounding some 70, occurred at a bus station near the crowded Mahne-Yehuda open marketon Friday afternoon, after a key meeting between Powell and IsraeliPrime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Sharon after the meeting, Powell said the United States understands Israel's need todefend itself, while stressing that "eventually the parties must talk, the parties must have negotiations."

Powell expressed hope that a timetable will be hammered out withSharon on ending Israel's military operations in the West Bank and pursuing the peace with the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, he urged all the parties in the region to play a roleto "restrain aggressive behaviors."

Powell arrived Thursday night in Israel, the fifth leg of his Mideast tour, which has taken him to Morocco, Egypt, Spain and Jordan.

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