Levy Criticizes Arafat's Speech On StatehoodPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat's speech on the declaration of statehood can only harm the Middle East peace process, said Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy on Monday."Arafat's speech showed that the Palestinian leader does not want to reach an agreement with Israel," levy told the Israel Radio. "Arafat is distancing himself from the peace process, and from the obligations and undertakings he's taken on if he unilaterally declares a state," Levy added. If Arafat declares a Palestinian state as he said on Sunday in the near future without the agreement from Israel, Israel will take measures to counter that, Levy added. Anyway, he said, Israel does not want to confront with the Palestinians, but Israel will neither retreat nor make compromise in the peace process if the Palestinians stage some kind of violent actions against Israel. Levy's remarks proved the harshest while commenting on Arafat's Sunday speech in which the Palestinian leader vowed to declare an independent Palestinian state within weeks. Addressing thousands of supporters in the West Bank city of Nablus, Arafat said a statehood can be declared unilaterally within weeks. "We have a few weeks left ahead of us...the state will be established with its capital Jerusalem," Arafat stressed. Responding to last week's warnings by Israeli Chief of General Staff Shaul Mofaz that the army might deploy tanks and helicopters to put down clashes in the territories if the sides fail to forge a peace deal by September and the Palestinians unilaterally declare a state, Arafat said the Palestinians are prepared to fight back if the Israeli troops use violence against them. Arafat also reminded Israel of past battles that the Palestinians fought against Israel, such as the seven years of uprising during the 1970s. The statehood declaration will most likely come in September and the final decision will be taken by the Central Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization which will meet in Gaza at the beginning of July, Palestinian Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Nabil Shaath said Sunday. Arafat met Sunday night in Nablus with Israeli Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Council Speaker Abu Ala, the chief negotiators for the final-status talks, a senior Palestinian source said Monday. Arafat wants to review the two sides' positions and clarify some points before the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who is expected to arrive here Tuesday evening to prepare a three-way summit in July in Washington, between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, U.S. special Middle East peace envoy Dennis Ross, currently in the region ahead of Albright's visit, held several rounds of talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, discussed the peace process with some of the heads of Barak's coalition partners and held at least three rounds of talks with Barak. |
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