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| Israel-Palestine |
| US: don’t-whack-Arafat pledge still active |
| 2004-04-24 |
| From AP. EFL. President Bush has cautioned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon against harming Yasser Arafat, a White House official said Friday after the Israeli leader said he was no longer bound by a promise to spare Arafat from attack. The prime minister’s comments Friday were the strongest sign yet that Israel could target the Palestinian leader. The White House hours later said that Bush in last week’s meeting had "reiterated his opposition to such an action" against the Palestinian leader. "We have made it entirely clear to the Israeli government," said National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack. "The president was pretty clear." In an interview Friday night with ABC’s Ted Koppel, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Bush considers Sharon’s earlier pledge binding. "The president made it clear that he would oppose any such attempts against Mr. Arafat, and the president firmly believes that he has a commitment from Prime Minister Sharon that no such attempt will be made," Powell said. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that "nothing has changed in the U.S. position." State smokescreen or crossed wires? You decide. |
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