France : Sidestepping Arafat has and will produce the opposite results to peace

France said yesterday in statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson about the peace process that "France's position with regard to Mr. Arafat is absolutely clear. President Arafat is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Authority. It would be a grave error, a mistake, to try to eliminate him politically. We consider that the fact of crystallizing everything around the person of President Arafat can only fuel a logic of conditions which have impeded the political process, the resumption of the political process, for three years."

"As you'll have noted, as the minister stated, we need the Palestinians to work together, and playing on the divisions is not the way to open the doors to peace. Elections like those stipulated in the roadmap are the only way to legitimately renew the Palestinian leadership."

"For all that we need to concentrate on the key question, and that's the sense of the declaration issued by the European Union presidency on September 11 which states clearly what we expect from each of the parties in relaunching the implementation of the roadmap."