Maher rejects any attempt to change Arafat status as PNA president

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is the legitimate elected president of the Palestinian National Authority, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said on Thursday.

"Any attempt to change Arafat's status is rejected, because it would be illegitimate, illegal and futile," Maher said in statements to reporters before leaving Istanbul after having led Egypt's delegation to meetings of the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

"Arafat has for long worked and sacrificed for peace, and Israel is required to respond to achieve progress in this respect," the Egyptian foreign minister added.

Drawn on the likelihood of Egypt becoming involved in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Maher said Cairo will not allow anyone to drag it into the conflict.

This however, Maher went on to say, does not mean that Egypt is not committed to the Palestinian cause and the drive to set up an independent Palestinian state.