US President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was in a position to "dramatically" reduce violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Arafat can dramatically reduce the level of violence," Clinton told journalists at the White House after speaking with the Palestinian leader by phone earlier in the day.
On Tuesday, the White House said that Clinton had suggested that Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak come to Washington to meet separately with him.
Clinton spoke by telephone with Barak Tuesday night, a White House official said Wednesday.
"The president did touch base with Prime Minister Barak overnight," the official said.
A Palestinian official in Gaza told AFP that Arafat is likely to visit Washington in early November.
At the Clinton-hosted summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 17, Arafat and Barak agreed to take steps to halt the unrest, but clashes have continued daily since then, though the level of violence has subsided in recent days – (AFP)
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