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Clinton to Meet Arafat Tuesday
US President Bill Clinton and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will meet in Washington on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the US Middle East peace plan, White House officials said Monday.
Clinton telephoned Arafat Monday to seek common understanding for Middle East peace talks and invited him to Washington, they said.
Clinton also expressed during the 45-minute phone call his concerns about the renewed bloodshed in the region, where a car bomb wounded dozens on Monday, the White House officials said.
"We want to ensure that there's a common understanding about the parameters that the president put forward," White House spokesman P.J. Crowley said. During their conversation the chairman and the president agreed that it might be useful to meet. "
Hassan Abdel Rahman, who heads the Washington office of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization, said the visit means the American side agrees with the Palestinians there's a need for clarification and discussion of the American position.
Crowley said Clinton also spoke by telephone Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to discuss ongoing Israeli-Palestinian violence and the need for everyone to counter the terrorism besetting the region.
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