WEST BANK: EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA URGES ISRAEL TO LIFT ALL RESTRICTIONS ON MOVEMENT OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT

Record ID: 400190

  • Title: WEST BANK: EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA URGES ISRAEL TO LIFT ALL RESTRICTIONS ON MOVEMENT OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT
  • Date: 26th February 2002
  • Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (FEBRUARY 25, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. MV PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT AND EUROPEAN UNIONS FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 0.11 2. SOUNDBITE (English) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT SAYING "And now we are facing this terrible situation, especially from the escalation of the military activiti
  • Embargoed: 13th March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA4AUEQ0FD7W7L7FUFHH94C5QKC
  • Story Text: European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
    on the second day of a peace mission, urged Israel to lift all
    restrictions on Arafat's movements. After meeting Arafat,
    Solana said the Palestinian leader agreed to resume the
    security talks.

    The European Unions foreign policy chief Javier Solana
    said during a joint news conference with Palestinian President
    Yasser Arafat that the Palestinians will resume the
    participation of trilateral security meetings on Tuesday
    (February 26). The talks were called off on Sunday (February
    24, 2002).

    "He has told me in a very clear manner that tomorrow he
    will resume the participation of the trilateral security
    meetings and I think that's very important. That will be a
    step to maintain and support the ceasefire which is very
    delicate," Solana said at a news conference in the West Bank
    town of Ramallah on Monday night (February 25).

    "Today we have seen too many incidents already and I hope
    very much that this will stop," the EU foreign policy chief
    added.

    Four people were killed in the West Bank and a Palestinian
    gunman wounded 10 Israelis on Jerusalem's outskirts on Monday
    after Israel pulled tanks back from Arafat's compound but kept
    Palestinian anger boiling by keeping a cordon of armour around
    Ramallah.

    Palestinian President Yasser Arafat stressed during the
    joint news conference with Solana that "we are committed
    completely to the peace process."
    Despite heightened tensions, Israeli President Moshe
    Katzav invited Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Jerusalem to
    discuss a new Saudi peace initiative that has been welcomed by
    Palestinians and has drawn cautious praise from Israel, the
    United States and the U.N.

    The proposal floated by Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler calls on
    Arab states to recognise Israel in return for a full Israeli
    withdrawal from lands occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

    "We cannot forget what is going on and what had been done
    and declared by Crown Prince Abdallah (of Jordan) which we had
    discussed just now with your excellency and for his initiative
    which we are appreciative and support completely and also
    other initiatives which had been declared by the Egyptians and
    by the others," said Arafat.

    But the latest violence -- coupled with Arafat's continued
    confinement to Ramallah after nearly three months bottled up
    at his headquarters there -- seemed to offer little hope for
    immediate progress towards ending 17 months of bloodshed.


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