Report: Arafat attacks Syria, Jordan
Palestine, Politics, 6/15/1999

In a special report from Gaza, the Jordanian weekly al-Majd said that Yasser Arafat has strongly attacked the Syrian and Jordanian leaders and accused the two sides of coordinating behind his back at his expense and the expense of the Palestinian track in the peace process.

The paper quoted Arafat as saying in a special and lengthy meeting held with the leadership of the Fatah movement held the week before last that the new Jordanian leadership -- giving no mention to any name -- has politically turned to Syria and actually turned its back to the Palestinian Authority despite the fact that the Jordanian leadership's formal contacts have not ceased with the Palestinians.

Arafat added that the Jordanian leadership is concerned about reviving the Syrian-Lebanese track much more than the Palestinian track. He added that the Jordanian leadership is busy promoting the Syrians in Washington and London much more than backing the Palestinian Authority and supporting it at Western capitals.

Arafat said, "What is taking place in Jordan today is in contradiction and different to what used to be yesterday, when the former (Jordanian) leadership used to give all backing to the Palestinian track, giving no interest to the Syrian and Lebanese tracks."

Arafat said, "The brothers in Jordan sought from their recent visit to us in Gaza to tell us some of what they had agreed of future policies and schemes with President Clinton and the US administration," adding, "They (Jordanians) wanted to laugh at us through paying us such a formal visit while they maintain a real stand with Syria."

Concerning the Syrian leadership, Arafat said that he recently asked for the mediation of several Arab leaders with the Syrian leadership, but he did not mention names. "But (the Syrians) have closed all doors for reconciliation," he said, claiming that the "Syrians befell themselves with disputes with Egypt and Saudi Arabia because they refused the reconciliation."

Al-Majd added that Arafat strongly criticized the Syrian leadership. He said that "Syria is jealous" of his remarkable relations with Egypt, adding that Syria has succeeded in undermining his firm relations with Jordan and that it has on its lands the "Palestinian opposition" and has received Sheikh Ahmad Yassin "as a conqueror" not for the "sake of his eyes" but to "tease me and to show me before the world as not a representative for all my people and not as trustworthy for the cause of his homeland."

Previous Stories:
  Arafat meets Moussa for pushing forward the peace process   (6/14/1999)
  Palestinian leadership holds urgent meeting   (6/12/1999)
  A dissociation inside the Palestinian police   (6/12/1999)

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