Arafat Blasts US Claims on Palestinians Leadership

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 15, 2002

Arafat Blasts US Claims on Palestinians Leadership

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Saturday blasted US claims on Palestinians leadership, saying the Palestinian people who only can determine their leaders through elections.

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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Saturday blasted US claims on Palestinians leadership, saying the Palestinian people who only can determine their leaders through elections.

Arafat's comment came in reaction to comments made Thursday by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that the Palestinians needed new leadership.

Powell said peace in the Middle East would require "from the Palestinians a new and different leadership, new institutions, and an end to terror and violence."

Only the Palestinian people would decide the new leadership, Arafat told reporters outside his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

PNA cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo also accused the United States of failing to pressure Israel to withdraw from Palestinian areas because elections could yield a renewed mandate for Arafat.

"The Palestinian people are willing to make a change in the leadership, but these changes should be through elections, democratic and fair elections," he said.

He added that the date of Jan. 20 originally set for the vote was becoming increasingly unlikely because of Israel's military presence in Palestinian towns and severe travel restrictions imposed on their citizens.

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