Jordan's King Abdullah said in an interview published on Friday that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat had substantially lost control of armed groups and warned that even worse violence lay ahead in the Middle East.
"What I can say is that over the years I always thought Arafat was capable of controlling Palestinian public sentiment and extremism," the king was quoted as saying in an interview with the Belgian weekly Le Vif/L'Express. "I think that is no longer the case today."
The Jordanian leader renewed his call on the United States to engage more vigorously in efforts to halt the escalation of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis.
"If there was peace between the Israelis and Palestinians we would run less risk of another September 11," he said. "This is what we are telling the Americans: you are asking us to fight against terrorism, but by failing to resolve this Israeli-Palestinian problem you tie our hands behind our backs."
King Abdullah said he believed Arafat's ability to control Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and even his Fatah faction had been severely curtailed. "The problem is that when there is such anger it is difficult to control anything," he said.
He said the United States had failed to understand the gravity of the crisis, believing that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent swing through the Middle East would be enough to calm the situation.
"I told the U.S. president in no uncertain terms that the anger has far from cooled," he said. "I stressed that if the confrontations between the Israeli army and the Palestinians dragged on the situation in the Middle East would deteriorate." "I explained to all countries with which we are friends that the worst was not behind us."
The Arab leader said the situation could improve if the two sides could be brought to the negotiating table this summer, but warned of another cycle of violence if a Palestinian state is not created in the next three or four years.
Meanwhile, an Israeli newspaper said Friday Arafat was prepared to accept a Mideast peace plan put forward by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton in December 2000.
In an interview at his Ramallah headquarters, Arafat told Haaretz that he would take the Clinton plan without changes. "I am prepared to accept it, absolutely," Haaretz quoted Arafat as saying.
Clinton presented the plan after a July summit meeting between Arafat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak broke down without an agreement. According to the plan, the Palestinians would set up a state in 95 percent of the West Bank and all of Gaza and would gain sovereignty over Arab quarters in Jerusalem and a hotly disputed holy site.
The plan also called on the Palestinians to drastically scale back their demand for all refugees and their descendants from the 1948-49 war that followed Israel's creation, about 4 million people, to have the right to return to their original homes.
Also, Arafat said he would be prepared for modifications in the line between Israel and the West Bank and exchanges of territory with Israel, principles the Palestinians have balked at up to now. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
