Efforts to convene a meeting between Arafat and Barzani

A well-informed Palestinian source said on Monday that efforts are being exerted to arrange for a meeting between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and the chairman of the Kurdistani Democratic Party in Iraq, Masoud Barzani.

The sources which asked not to be identified told AFP that a Kurdish figure recently came to the Palestinian areas and met with Palestinian officials to arrange for such a meeting.

AFP added that the Kurdish envoy met with Palestinian Public Works Minister Azzam Ahmad, who had been the Palestinian ambassador in Iraq for many years and who is the official in charge of Palestinian -Iraqi relations in the Palestinian government.

The sources explained that relations between the Kurdistani Democratic Party and the PLO are very old and their meetings have continued, especially after the establishment of the Palestinian Authority.

On the objective of efforts made to convene a meeting between Arafat and Barzani, the sources stated that the KDP wanted to benefit from the close relations between the Palestinian government and Baghdad in order to bring viewpoints together between the two sides.

The sources continued that as for the Palestinian government, "The objective is to preserve the unity of Iraq and its territorial integrity."

The sources expected the meeting between Arafat and Barzani to take place within two weeks in a capital which it abstained from identifying.