US president advisors met to discuss imposing sanctions on Arafat

The USA Today said on Friday that senior advisors for the US President George Bush for foreign policy would have met on Friday to discuss imposing sanctions on the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat under claims that he had tried to buy weapons from Iran.

News reports quoted the paper as saying that the foreign policy team of the US president is planning to recommend to sign sanction that might include the suspension of the peace process led by the US envoy for the Middle East Anthony Zinni.

A source at the US state department told the paper that high ranking officials at the ministries have been discussing all over last week the measure that will be taken against Arafat. Other sources explained that high ranking officials are searching for measures against Arafat that might reach the extent of severing relations with the Palestinian Authority.

The paper indicated that Bush will, most expectedly, adopt the implementation of sanctions that might include ordering Zinni to suspend his efforts onto arranging the cease- fire between Israel and the Palestinians and closing the office of the Palestinian Authority in Damascus.