Abu Mazin denies Israeli report on using harsh words against Arafat
Palestine, Politics, 10/12/2002

The secretary general of the PLO Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazin) has denied what was published by the Israeli daily Maareve that he made criticism to the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat during a special meeting he had held with the Arab ambassadors in Moscow. Abu Mazin said in a statement to the BBC he did not and will not attack President Arafat, in person or politically.

Maareve had said that Abu Mazin criticized the Palestinian President in harsh words similar to those used against him by the Israeli and American leaders.

The paper attributed its information to a secret report arrived at the US through Russian officials.

In the recent weeks, the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot concentrated on publishing reports on meetings between delegates for the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, and Abu Mazin had repeatedly denied these reports.

Among the reports which arrived in Israel and published by Mareeve, Abu Mazin and certain Palestinian officials are very close to the stances of the American administration debated by Ariel Sharon in Moscow and the ideas debated several days later also in Moscow by Abu Mazin. Maareve said that following the visit made by Abu Mazin to Moscow, immediately after the end of Sharon's visit, the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov contacted his American counterpart Colin Powell and gave him a detailed report about the developments which were described by diplomatic sides as "dramatic." After that the Russian foreign ministry sent a detailed report to Washington and part of this report arrived in Tel Aviv.

Previous Stories:
  UN's top human rights official voices 'extreme concern' over Israeli attack in Gaza   (10/10/2002)
  Mahmoud Abbas paid secret visits to Amman, Doha   (10/4/2002)
  Abu Mazin: I did not meet with the chairman of the Israeli Mossad   (10/3/2002)
  Abu Mazin to visit Moscow   (10/1/2002)

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