Arafat Says Ready to Negotiate with Sharon 'Immediately'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 30, 2003

Arafat Says Ready to Negotiate with Sharon 'Immediately'

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat announced Wednesday that he is ready to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and start peace negotiations immediately.

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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat announced Wednesday that he is ready to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and start peace negotiations immediately.

Arafat made his announcement in an interview with Israeli Television Channel 10, just one day after Sharon and his Likud party won as number one party in the parliamentary elections on Tuesday.

In comments to Arafat's calls, a statement issued by Sharon's office said that Arafat "who supports terror" would never be a peace partner and "Israel would only contact Palestinians who are not involved in any terrorist activity."

Saeb Erekat, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) cabinet minister said that Sharon's rejection to Arafat's invitation "indicates that Sharon rejects to resume the peace process."

He said that since electing Sharon for the first time as a Prime Minister in 2001, "he (Sharon) had frozen peace talks, expanded settlements and intensified his military actions against the Palestinians."

"Sharon imposed curfews, closures and sieges on all the Palestinian cities and practiced killing and destruction," Erekat denounced, adding "the next stage for Sharon is not resuming the peace process, it will be reoccupying the Gaza Strip."

Erekat accused Sharon of planning to undermine the PNA and the Palestinian infrastructure, adding that this time "no one would be able to stop Sharon doing whatever he wants."

Erekat expected that the first tough action Sharon is going to take "is to hurt President Yasser Arafat," which "is exactly what he is planning to do next."

Arafat's announcement doesn't express his personal point of view, the PNA minister said, noting that "it expresses the Palestinian people point of views and the official point of view of the PNA."

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