Posted on 12/11/2001 6:54:58 AM PST by veronica
American mediator Gen. Anthony Zinni, who met with Yasser Arafat yesterday, said about him, "I have never encountered such lack of trustworthiness in my life."
He said it was a "waste of time to try to reach a serious agreement with Arafat," and will concentrate on talking with other top figures in the PA - probably a reference to Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, and others.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon breakfasted today with the European Union's Javier Solana, expressing his satisfaction with the EU's call for the dismantling of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The EU's statement of yesterday also called upon Israel to freeze settlement activity in Judea and Samaria. Sharon said that Israel is anxious to fulfill another EU request by easing some restrictions upon the Palestinian population, but "the unceasing terrorism makes this difficult."
And, having said that, I clearly stated that regardless of whether Zinni uttered the words ... the statement itself I believe to be true. Arafat is untrustworthy, he is a terrorist that we should not be negotiating with, and Israel should handle him and those terrorist groups assaulting them in the same way we are going after the Taliban and bib Laden.
Until then it is you, and you alone, who are engaging in wholesale defamation.
I do as well, but you must admit that the sentiment of propertied statement is 100% accurate. Arafat is a total scumball and should never be trusted.
You Arab props should really stop making things up.
I will back up Bold Fenian in this case. I searched CNN, MSNBC and the Washington Post and could find NO CONFIRMATION of this quote. IMO it is the responsibility of the poster of the article, when challenged, to provide confirmation of such a quote - this should be Front Page News if Zinni actually said this, and I have seen no such presence of this quote. Plus, I consider it HIGHLY unlikely that Zinni would plan to circumvent Arafat and negotiate with other Palestinan figures.
A) I happen to agree with your skepticism about Zinni actually saying this.
B) I do however agree with the alleged quote wholeheartedly.
C) Being loyal or sympathetic to Israel and posting news bolstering that sentiment from perhaps questionable sources hardly makes one (Veronica, Sabramerican) disloyal or un-American. I am neither and nor am I Jewish for that matter. I'm a Prod as you well know.
I must confess that while your pro-IRA stance is obvious, I didn't know till now that you had a beef with the pro-Israel crowd here. Not suprising I suppose since your comrades and the PLO have a long history of cooperation.
Regards
That still does not justify promulgating false news stories. The truth alone should be sufficient with Arafat.
The Islamic Jihad Information Service reports that General Zinni was overheard calling Ariel Sharon an accomplished mass murderer.
-Staff Writer.
Please provide a link.
An examination of Finenen's profile indicates that he/she lacks the class to apologize
Semper Fi
I don't know whether he said it to someone. It has been publicly reported and not denied. Until it is at least denied, the presumption rests with the story.
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