Arafat in Zimbabwe Seeking Support for New Peace InitiativesPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat Friday urged Israel to honor initiatives by Egypt and Jordan in order to bring peace to the turbulent Middle East.After holding talks here with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on the situation in the Middle East region, Arafat said that the peace initiatives have been accepted by international leaders. "I was discussing with President Mugabe on how much we have suffered as Israel destroys our cities, homes and villages," he said. "They are uprooting our olives trees which were planted more than 100 years ago and they are destroying some Muslim shrines," he said. Arafat said the Jordan-Egypt peace initiative will end the seven-month conflict between Israel and Palestine because it has been accepted by major powers such as the United States, Russia, European Union and Arab countries. Arafat arrived here from South Africa on Thursday night, where he attended a special meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Committee on Palestine. Zimbabwe is a member of the committee together with Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Senegal and Zambia. At least 402 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 76 Israelis have been killed in clashes between the Palestinians and Israelis in the past seven months, according to reports. |
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