Arafat Leaving Options Open
<< In the chess game with Israel over Palestinian statehood, Yasser Arafat has been making all the smart moves.
In response to Arafat's threat to declare a Palestinian state on Tuesday, scores of world leaders hoping to change his mind were quick to assure him they backed eventual Palestinian independence.
So, with unprecedented international support in his pocket, Arafat set about defusing his own May deadline, and secured a vote Thursday by PLO leaders to postpone a declaration of statehood, at least until after Israel's May 17 election. >>
<< The decision by the PLO Central Committee to defer a decision on statehood until June allows Arafat to await the outcome of Israeli elections before making his next move.
A victory by Israel's moderate opposition leader, Ehud Barak, would likely usher in negotiations on Palestinian statehood and Arafat could just drop the idea of a unilateral declaration.
If Netanyahu wins, the hard-line Israeli leader will face growing pressure to negotiate a final peace agreement with the Palestinians by May 2000 - the target date set by the United States and the European Union, in place of the original one May 4.
If, after a few months, there is no sign of progress, Arafat can still revive the idea of a unilateral declaration of independence. ''Every day will become a potential May 4,'' said Ehud Yaari, the political commentator for Israel TV.
If the one-year extension passes without a deal, Arafat could blame Israeli intransigence and would likely meet with little international resistance to a unilateral Palestinian move. >>
dailynews.yahoo.com
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Hi Whiskeyjack,
Re: any scoop news out there about the Palestinian statehood?
Arafat put the date off, at least for a little while, as per the above link.
:-))
John
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