African leaders message of solidarity to Arafat

The participating African Heads of State in the first summit of the African Union (AU) sent on Wednesday a message of solidarity to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The African leaders expressed their support of Arafat in his struggle to regain the Palestinian rights and set up an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with UN resolutions.

They expressed condemnation of violence and the deliberate killing operations carried out by Israeli army against the defenseless Palestinians.

They also denounced the tight restrictions imposed on Arafat's movement that forced him not to take part in the AU first summit.