WASHINGTON (voa) – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell goes to the West Bank Sunday to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his besieged headquarters in Ramallah.
The talks were originally scheduled for Saturday, but Mr. Powell called them off, after another Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem a day earlier (Friday) left seven people dead.
The Secretary of State agreed to meet with Mr. Arafat after the Palestinian leader issued a statement in Arabic condemning all terrorist activities against civilians, including Friday’s attack.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman (Richard Boucher) said Mr. Arafat’s statement contained positive elements. But the spokesman cautioned that the Palestinian leader has made unfulfilled statements against terrorism in the past and must now back up his words with actions.
Israeli officials have rejected the Palestinian leader’s denunciation of terrorism as worthless.
Today’s meeting takes place in Mr. Arafat’s battered Ramallah compound, where he has been under siege by Israeli forces for the past two weeks. Secretary Powell is expected to push for an end to the violence as a first step toward putting peace efforts back on track.
Saturday, he urged Israel to exercise restraint and pressed for a timetable to end Israeli military operations in the West Bank, now in their third week.
Mr. Powell met with international relief officials Saturday to discuss the humanitarian situation in the West Bank. He later issued a statement expressing deep concern about conditions in the Jenin refugee camp and other Palestinian areas under Israeli control.
After talks with Mr. Arafat today, Secretary Powell is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, then consider further meetings with both sides.
