Arafat: Palestinian people persist in restoring their lands

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said his people intend to restore the occupied lands and release their sons who are still in the Israeli jails.

At the conclusion of the Palestinian leadership's meeting last night in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Arafat said the lands whose freedom were restored have became part of the Palestinian government's responsibility and will be visited by the different ministries to draw-up reconstruction plans.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the secretary of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee, described the recent decisions of the Israeli government to release 200 Palestinian detainees as good, even if it is not enough. He said Israel should take many steps to restore confidence between the two sides.