US, France Oppose Arafat Expulsion by Israel

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 12, 2003

US, France Oppose Arafat Expulsion by Israel

French President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday it would be a mistake to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, an issue of hot debate in Israel.

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French President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday it would be a mistake to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, an issue of hot debate in Israel.

Speaking at a press conference with Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar after hours of talks near Madrid, Chirac said that Arafat was the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Authority and "to eliminate him politically" would be a "grave mistake."

Aznar said they both agreed the Middle East peace plan "Road Map", forged by the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and Russia, was an ideal, yet difficult, way to achieve peaceful coexistence for Israel and the Palestinians.

Progress in the peace process needs greater collaboration by the four sides, he said.

Ealier, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters at a briefing that the expulsion of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from the Palestinian territories would not be helpful to the situation in the Middle East.

"We don't believe that dealing with Mr. Arafat in that fashion or through expulsion is going to be helpful at all to the situation," "Our view on Arafat hasn't changed, and our view is that he is part of the problem, not part of the solution. At the same time, we think it would not be helpful to expel him, because it would just give him another stage to play on," Boucher said.

In Jerusalem, Israeli government sources said Israel's security cabinet on Thursday agreed in principle to expel Arafat but not to do anything immediately.

The cabinet has decided to ask the Israel Defense Forces to draw up a plan for Arafat's exile, the sources added.

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