AMMAN (voa) – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says it is important to hold talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, even though Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says such a meeting would be a “tragic mistake.”
Mr. Powell arrives in Jerusalem Thursday for talks with Mr. Sharon, after a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman. Mr. Arafat has been isolated by Israeli troops at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah since Israel began its military offensive on March 29.
Mr. Powell says that, despite his circumstances, the Palestinian leader remains a key figure in any effort to bring peace to the Middle East. Mr. Powell also says Wednesday’s suicide bombing in Israel and Israel’s refusal to end its West Bank offensive will not jeopardize his peace-making efforts.
The Secretary of State made the remark in Madrid Wednesday, after talks on the Middle East with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, European Union chief diplomat Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
The United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations called on Israel to withdraw immediately from occupied West Bank cities. In a joint statement, the four parties also urged Mr. Arafat to do everything possible to halt attacks against Israeli civilians.
Tuesday, Secretary Powell told a news conference in Cairo he is committed to doing everything he can to achieve a cease-fire and a resumption of peace talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state. He said he had already heard expressions of deep concern about the ongoing violence from the leaders of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
