Arafat Renews Call for U.N. to Send Force to Protect PalestiniansPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday renewed a call for the United Nations to send a peace- keeping force to the Palestinian territories to protect the Palestinian people and their properties.Arafat reiterated the call at a meeting with Chinese Representative to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Wu Jiuhong. He briefed Wu on the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and expressed gratitude to the Chinese government and people for their continuous support to the Palestinian causes. Israel still uses force against Palestinian protestors, imposes blockade on the Palestinian territories, and declines to pay tax money it owes to the PNA, which has resulted in a serious economic crisis, Arafat said. He urged the U.N. Security Council to send an international force to the Palestinian territories to protect the Palestinian people and investigate into the causes of the still ongoing Israeli-Palestinian clashes. The violence, triggered by Israeli violation of Islamic holy sites in East Jerusalem last September, have left more than 430 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands of others injured. The new Israeli government under the hardline Prime Minister Ariel Sharon clutches to its preconditions for the resumption of peace negotiations, said Arafat, adding that the ongoing confrontations pose a threat to the regional security and stability. For his part, Wu said that China is concerned about the killing of civilians and the stalled peace process. He expressed hope that the Palestinians and Israel would soon resume peace negotiations. China supports the Middle East peace process based on the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and the land-for-peace principle, Wu added. The implementation of all agreements signed between the two sides is a precondition for rebuilding mutual confidence, he said. The Chinese representative called on the world community to exert further efforts and take effective and practical steps in a bid to revive the peace process. |
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