Israeli assassination crimes are provocations

US ambassador in Cairo, David Welch described the Israeli assassination crimes committed against Palestinian leadership as provocations and harassment.

He added that these operations do not maintain Israeli security measures.

Welch pointed out that Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon's talks in Washington last week focused on Israeli measures to control the deteriorating economic conditions.

Welch, in his address before Alexandria Rotary Club described the Palestinian assassination operations as terrorism and called on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to take more serious steps against such operations through concrete acts on the security arena.

The U.S. ambassador called on Arafat to arrest those who committed Israeli citizens and to refer them to trial.

He stressed the necessity of exerting utmost efforts to halt these operations.

The ambassador pointed out that the US did not decide that Arafat had become no longer a peace partner, but it asks him to exert efforts to halt violence.