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Palestinian President Arafat Condemns Terrorism
"We are against terrorism, especially of the kind that aims at the lives of innocent citizens. We are against terrorism that breads fanaticism and feeds the forces of darkness," Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Thursday, in his address to Greece's ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement's (PASOK) 6th congress opening session.
"We are opposed to terrorism because we are victims of the worst form of terrorism, which is occupation," he said, adding "all that the Palestinian people suffer today do not happen anywhere else in the world. For this reason we declare that we are resolved to continue the struggle against the Israeli occupation."
"We have called a cease-fire so as to continue negotiations for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, but we were not met with a response by the authorities of occupation," he said.
"Our hand is given out to peace. You are all witnesses of this stance of ours," Arafat said.
He expressed his appreciation to the Greek government and the Greek people for the support for the Palestinian cause.
"At the same time we state our satisfaction for the statement of the American President George Bush, for the establishment of a Palestinian state. We call for an international mobilization, the United States, China, Japan, the Islamic, the African, the Arab countries for the achievement of a just resolution of the Palestinian problem," the Palestinian President said.
Arafat closed his remarks promising that when an autonomous Palestinian state is established a central square will be given the name of PASOK's founder and late Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, in a show of appreciation for the support Papandreou, PASOK and the Greek people showed for the struggle of the Palestinian people.
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