Powell Says Arafat Should Not Be Exiled
Reuters, Apr 2, 2002
Powell Says Arafat Should Not Be Exiled
Tue Apr 2,10:01 AM ET
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites)
on Tuesday dismissed Israeli suggestions that Palestinian President Yasser
Arafat (news - web sites) should be forced into exile and said he expected
Israel's incursion into the West Bank city of Ramallah to last a couple
of weeks.
Powell, in a round of interviews on morning U.S.
television shows, said Arafat had an important role to play in the Middle
East peace process and should not be forced out of Ramallah, a suggestion
made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites).
"We think that Chairman Arafat still has a role
to play. We believe that as a leader he can speak out against the kind
of terrorist activity we have seen," Powell said in an interview with ABC's
"Good Morning America" show.
"Sending him to exile will just give him another
place from which to conduct the same kinds of activities and give the same
messages as he is giving now. Until he decides to leave the country, it
seems to me we need to work with him where he is," Powell added.
Israel invaded Bethlehem and other West Bank towns
on Tuesday and Sharon said he had told world leaders worried about Arafat's
plight that they could pluck him from Ramallah by helicopter. However,
the Israeli leader said Arafat's departure would have to be "a one-way
ticket" and "he would not be able to return."
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat immediately dismissed
the offer, saying Arafat, who has sworn to die a martyr rather than bow
to Israel, would never accept exile.
Powell said Israel had assured him it had no intention
of hurting or killing Arafat or of permanently occupying Palestinian towns,
cities or villages.
"I have heard different estimates of how long they
think it would take but I would guess right now that they are expecting
it will take them a couple of weeks," Powell told NBC's "Today" show when
asked how long Israeli troops would be in Ramallah.
"I hope this will end quickly but I cannot predict
when the Israelis will make their judgement that they can withdraw because
they have dealt with the terrorist threat as they have seen it," he added.
APPEAL TO ARAFAT
Israeli tanks have besieged Ramallah since last Friday in a major sweep
aimed at arresting Palestinian militants following a spate of suicide bombings.
Arafat has been trapped in his headquarters in the city since then.
Powell has consistently appealed to Arafat to do
more to end Palestinian attacks, which have put Israel on a war footing
following a spate of suicide bombings during Passover.
Powell reiterated on Tuesday that Arafat needed
to take a more active role in ending the violence.
"He has not done enough in our judgement with respect
to stopping the terrorist activities or calling upon his people to stop
conducting activities of this kind," he said.
There has been speculation that Powell might go
to the Middle East soon in an attempt to jump-start the stalled peace process
and bring the warring factions together.
Powell said he had already been twice to the region
and was ready to go again when the time was right.
"I've always kept myself open to do whatever is
appropriate, but I think we have been deeply engaged and I've been playing
the correct role over the last several weeks," he told CBS.
"We're ready to move forward. We're ready to send
whoever we have to wherever we have to, to get this process moving forward,
but not trips just for the sake of trips," he added.
Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) returned
last month from the region, where he met a broad range of leaders but did
not hold talks with Arafat.
Cheney said he would meet Arafat if the Palestinian
leader implemented a U.S.-brokered plan enforcing a cease-fire.
The United States supports a cease-fire plan negotiated
by CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet in June 2001 and a broader
plan for a path back to peace talks prepared under the leadership of former
Sen. George Mitchell last May.
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