France and Russia said that they still considered Yasser Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian Authority after talks between the French and Russian foreign ministers in Moscow.
"Arafat is an elected representative and it is for the people themselves to decide who will represent them," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Monday.
His Russian peer Igor Ivanov added that "it is necessary to pursue dialogue with the Israeli authorities as well as the Palestinian leadership."
"We will maintain our contacts with Arafat, who is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Authority," he added. (Albawaba.com)
