Arens: Proclaiming Palestinian state will frustrate peace process

Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Arens expressed his belief that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will not proclaim the independent Palestinian state on May 4, claiming that such a proclamation would lead to the failure of the peace process and oblige Israel to take unilateral steps.

Israel Radio said that Arens tackled during his statements to Israeli television the issue of detaining members of the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia, clarifying that this has nothing to do with a Lebanese resistance operation that resulted in the death of Israeli General Erez Gerstein in south Lebanon recently.