Arafat Urges OIC to Take Actions Against Israeli AggressionPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday called on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to take actions against the Israeli aggression on Jerusalem.Upon his arrival for a short visit, Arafat called on Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the current OIC chairman, to take the initiative to defend the holy city of Jerusalem, the Iranian state-run television reported. Terming the Middle East peace talks as "dead", Arafat said that he would exchange views with President Khatami on the future of Jerusalem and the latest developments in Palestine. "We are victims of aggressions by the Zionists (Israelis) and their oppressive actions against the holy Qods (Jerusalem)," he said. Arafat stressed that under previous agreements with Israel, an independent Palestinian state will be declared in September 2000. Arafat has visited several European, Arab and Muslim countries since a U.S.-sponsored summit at Camp David with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton failed to reach a peace agreement due to differences over the fate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees. Arafat arrived here from Cairo and will leave for Moscow Thursday afternoon. Iran had voiced strong opposition to the Camp David summit held on July 11-25 and expressed delight over the failure of the summit. Tehran has launched wide-range contacts and consultations with Islamic states and Palestinian groups, calling for common stance among Muslim countries on the Palestinian issue. Expressing concerns over the U.S. statement to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Tehran underlined that the sovereignty over Jerusalem belongs to Palestine, and the Palestinians have the right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. |
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