Clinton-Arafat Meeting Postponed to Thursday

The scheduled Wednesday meeting between U.S. President Bill Clinton and Chairman of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat in Washington has been postponed to Thursday, a senior Palestinian official said on Monday.

According to an advisor to Arafat, the one-day delay is because that both Arafat and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will attend Tuesday's funeral of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who died of heart attack last Saturday.

Arafat will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Monday to discuss the latest developments of the Middle East peace process, in the light of Assad's death and the expected resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in Washington.

Following his meeting with Mubarak, Arafat will leave for Syria to attend Assad's funeral.

People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/