Sharon Confronts U.S., Egypt Envoys Over Arafat's Status

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 01, 2002

Sharon Confronts U.S., Egypt Envoys Over Arafat's Status

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confronted with U.S. and Egyptian envoys Friday over the political status of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confronted with U.S. and Egyptian envoys Friday over the political status of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The Palestinian reforms can not be carried out as long as Arafatis in power, he told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs William Burns and Egyptian envoy Osama Al Bazheld in separate talks.

The two foreign envoys, however, did not agree with Sharon despite his charges that "Arafat has done nothing to prevent terror attacks."

Burns said during his meeting with Sharon that reforms of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) need to be conducted with Arafat as a central factor on the Palestinian side, while Bazheld, an advisor to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, told Sharon that Arafat was a partner capable of holding negotiations that would lead to peace.

Burns presented an idea of proceeding on three tracks simultaneously: the political track, the reform track and the security track. The U.S. envoy also outlined the same plan to Arafat earlier on Thursday.

Burns also brought up the topic of an international peace conference, saying that it was imperative to hold it "as soon as possible."

During his talks with the two foreign envoys, Sharon repeated Israel's two pre-conditions for any peace progress with Palestinian: the complete "cessation of terror, violence and incitement", and "the carrying out of comprehensive reforms in PNA."

Sharon refused to present a clear-cut diplomatic timetable for the establishment of a Palestinian state and for Israel's lifting of the tight sieges on many Palestinian towns and cities, as being demanded by the U.S. envoy. He told his guests that he'd rather wait until the reforms of the PNA have been completed.

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