Arafat orders media not to reply to statements made by Syrian minister of defense

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat gave strict orders to the Palestinian media not to replying to statements allegedly made by Syrian Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlass which were insulting to President Arafat.

Palestinian Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nabeel Amro expressed his belief that this incident must not affect the serious strategic relations between the two sides.

Some Palestinian officials urged Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to discharge Tlass because of the obscene worlds he was reported as using against Arafat.