Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, September 14, 2003
US Envoy Reiterates Rejection of Removing Arafat
US Middle East peace envoy John Wolf announced on Saturday his country's rejection to the Israeli government's decision to remove Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
US Middle East peace envoy John Wolf announced on Saturday his country's rejection to the Israeli government's decision to remove Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Wolf told reporters following his meeting with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in the West Bank town of Jericho that his country urges both Israel and the Palestinians to implement the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan.
Wolf informed Erekat during their meeting that it is so important to see the Palestinian side moving "on the security level and form the new Palestinian government."
A statement issued by Erekat's office said that both Erekat and Wolf stressed that the Israeli government "has also to implement its commitments and the roadmap peace plan."
The statement said Erekat called upon the US administration "to exert every possible effort to commit the Israeli government to cancel its decision to expel Arafat and end the siege imposed on him.
Erekat reiterated that it is necessary that Israel must stop its aggressive military actions against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, "including the assassinations and the destruction of houses."
"All these commitments are so important to achieve breakthrough in the peace process, where all the Palestinian demands from Israel were clearly mentioned in the first stage of the roadmap," said Erekat.
He renewed the Palestinian leadership's promise to fulfill its commitments towards the implementation of the road map "according to the mutual commitments between the Palestinians and Israel."
Erekat had also held contacts with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, as well as officials of Jordan, Egypt and Russia, urging them to interfere to end the Israeli decision.