Look, the fact is that, if these statements were accurate, it would reflect a major change in US policy toward any future dialogue with Arafat. It's a fact that these quotes aren't confirmed by any other news source in the world. It's a fact that these quotes are apparently contradicted by subsequent events.
If you say that it's conceiveable that Zinni would say such a thing, I don't have a problem with that. I disagree but it's only a matter of arguing over likelihood.
But if you say that you absolutely believe that he said that, in spite of all the evidence which casts grave doubts on it, then I'd say you have an agenda. I don't think that's unreasonable on my part.
No it wouldn't. I can't know if he said it, if he did it clearly wasn't for publication, if accurate. But in my experience, if a General Zinni wanted to tell Yasser the time had come to get his *shit wired together, this is how he'd say it. Actually, it's kind of gentle.