Powell refuses Israeli, Palestinian requests

The US secretary of state Colin Powell has refused a request made by the Israeli prime minister elect Ariel Sharon to interfere in order to convince the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat to halt the Palestinian Intifada.

The Israeli radio said that Sharon asked Powel for that the US to work to convince Arafat to work for halting the Palestinian Intifada, but the American secretary of state replied saying that his country considered both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are the ones who are responsible for restoring stability.

The radio added that Powell also refused Arafat's request to convene a tripartite security meeting including Israel, the Palestinian authority and the US, considering that such a meeting should be bilateral only with the participation of Israeli and Palestinian representatives.

The Israeli radio continued that Powell told Sharon before he headed for Ramullah in the West Bank to meet with Arafat that he expects the Palestinian- Israeli negotiations will be resumed after a long period of time.