Arafat and the American proposals

The chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat on Monday said that the American reply to the Palestinian questions on the American proposals will be given during the 24 coming hours.

Arafat told reporters upon his arrival in Gaza coming from Egypt, replying to a question on whether the Palestinians had received any answers or clarifications from the US administration to the Palestinian inquiries " we are in contact with the American administration and we might receive information within the coming 24 hours."

Arafat added that his meeting with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo on Monday was positive, constructive and important during which all matters were discussed including the continued Israeli attempts to escalate against the Palestinians.

A high ranking Palestinian source said on Monday that Arafat was due to received a telephone call from the US President Bill Clinton on Monday evening on the American reply to the questions and clarifications raised by the Palestinian leadership in the two messages Arafat recently sent to the US President Clinton.

The peace plan proposed by Clinton proposed to transfer sovereignty on al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority as well as to 95% of the West Bank and the whole of Gaza for the Palestinians to give up their right of return of 3.8 million Palestinian refugees who left their homeland on 1948.