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Arafat Briefs Indian Leader on Middle East
Palestine leader Yasser Arafat briefed Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Thursday in New Delhi on the prevailing situation in the Middle East following escalation of violence between Palestinian people and Israelis, an official source said.
Arafat, who arrived in the Indian capital Thursday, informed the Indian leader of the various aspects of the evolving situation in West Asia and moves being taken to restore peace in the region, the source said.
Arafat, who visited the South Asian country in August last year, is scheduled to leave for Beijing Thursday afternoon after his 11- hour stay in the South Asian country.
His planned meeting with Indian President Kocheril Raman Narayanan has been called off since "the president is indisposed," a government official said.
Earlier this month, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh held talks with Arafat and Israel Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who briefed him about the situation in the Middle East.
New Delhi has watched with concern the escalation of violence in the area and appealed for peaceful solution to the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
India has supported establishment of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and the principle of "land for peace".
India has maintained that all countries in the region including Palestine and Israel have a right to exist within secured internationally recognized borders.
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