Posted on 02/08/2003 3:36:25 PM PST by SJackson
President Arafat : The most important thing we need is to live in peace, together side by side, with the Israelis.
08/02/2003 [Offical PA website] http://www.pna.gov.ps/details.asp?subject_id=381
[IMRA: If there was a doubt that Arafat is not serious about peace, the following item shows the same old Arafat. President Bush's Republican Party does not have a militia nor does Bush not send suicide bombers to Toronto. It is also noteworthy that instead of denying he has billions of dollars overseas, Arafat replies that he isn't drawing a salary today.]
In an exclusive 10-minute interview with CNN's Michael Holmes with president Yasser Arafat , president Arafat declared that "the most important thing we need is to live in peace, together side by side, with the Israelis."
and he added : "This is terra santa, the holy land. The peace here is very important, not only for the Palestinians but for the whole world."
commenting on other issues as
The Palestinian Elections :
In what was supposed to be the first election day for Palestinians in seven years, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said that he is actively pursuing new politicians within his Fatah party to take over his post.
"I am pushing them, and I am proud that our movement, our party Fatah, has a very big amount of people and members, and we are very proud of them," he said
The first and only Palestinian Authority elections took place in January 1996. The Palestinian Authority was scheduled to hold elections in May 1999, according to the Oslo agreement, but the postponement of peace talks delayed the vote. The Palestinian Authority then set a date for January 20, 2003, which also has been put off indefinitely.
president Arafat said he welcomed opposition candidates, pointing out that he was not the only candidate in the last elections.
"There was another candidate -- she's a famous lady, and she took more than 10 percent; I have 87 percent," he said, referring to the late Sameeha Khalil, the leader of a charitable organization.
Q : "You're planning to be around for a while longer though?" Holmes asked.
A :"This is according to God and to the wishes of our voters," president Arafat said.
president Arafat has been under pressure for some time to reform the Palestinian Authority or to step aside. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon refuses to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians until Arafat is replaced. In June, President Bush -- without mentioning Arafat by name -- said the United States would support the creation of an independent Palestinian state if the Palestinian people "elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror."
president Arafat on Monday blamed Israel for the postponement of elections, saying its forces "have to withdraw" from the Palestinian territories.
A: "How this can be accepted internationally?" he said. "We were ready, and everything had been declared, and we had informed the [Madrid] 'quartet' [Russia, United Nations, United States and the European Union], we had informed all the Arab countries, we had informed the United Nations, we had even ... asked from many of these countries to send, as they had done in the previous elections, observers."
Israeli troops have intermittently occupied various cities and territories in the West Bank and Gaza since the latest Palestinian intifada, or uprising, began in September 2000. Israel said the measures are necessary to prevent further attacks, and it claims the crackdown has prevented dozens of potential suicide bombers from getting into Israel.
Arafat dismissed that argument.
A: Oh, suicide bombers? Does this, the suicide bombers in America ... delay your democracy also and your election in America?" he said. "You know that we are against it. Everyone knows that we are against it, and we had declared that, and we take many steps, and recently we had arrested some of them."
Arafat's Fatah movement is the mainstream faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization and is dedicated to the formation of an independent Palestinian state.
president Arafat said he would like to hold an election as soon as possible, saying all that was needed was at least one month for preparation and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Addressing reports that he has taken millions of dollars in aid money, Arafat denied the corruption charges.
"They are saying I have billions of dollars in many banks everywhere. For your information, I am proud that I am not taking salaries, not from the PLO, not from the PA [Palestinian Authority] -- I refused," he said.
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com
You're right, this sounds like propaganda. I've got news for you, the world is reading it. I'll note a dozen links below in the last 5 hours covering essentially the same story. They're sanitized. None of them have the same dishonest tone reading Arafat's words do. They don't sound like propaganda, but in fact are. I don't think there's any harm in reading a more direct source.
PM renews talks with PA officials
Ha'aretz, Israel - 30 minutes ago
Arafat welcomes high-level Israeli talks
Baltimore Sun, MD - 1 hour ago
Arafat Welcomes High-Level Israeli Talks
News Journal, TX - 2 hours ago
Arafat welcomes resumption of talks with Israel
Albawaba Middle East News, Jordan - 2 hours ago
Arafat welcomes high-level Israeli talks
The Globe and Mail, Canada - 2 hours ago
Arafat welcomes high-level Israeli talks
The Globe and Mail, Canada - 2 hours ago
Arafat Welcomes High-Level Israeli Talks
Doylestown Intelligencer, PA - 4 hours ago
Arafat Welcomes High-Level Contacts With Israel
KTUL, OK - 4 hours ago
Arafat Welcomes New Israeli-Palestinian Contacts
Voice of America - 4 hours ago
Arafat Welcomes High-Level Israeli Talks
Austin American Statesman, TX - 5 hours ago
Palestinian speaker talks peace to Israel
United Press International - 6 hours ago
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