US mulls "appropriate response" to Mideast events
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WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The United States withheld
comment on the Israeli incursion into the headquarters of
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Friday, saying it was
"assessing appropriate responses to events in the region".
A State Department spokeswoman said U.S. envoy Anthony
Zinni, who has been trying to arrange a cease-fire between
Israelis and Palestinians, is carrying on his mediation work
but officials declined to say how long he would stay.
"We have followed developments overnight and this morning
in the Middle East," said spokeswoman Julie Reside.
"General Zinni remains in the region and is in contact with
the parties and he continues his work. We are monitoring events
very closely and are assessing appropriate responses to
developments in the region," she added.
Israeli troops smashed their way into Arafat's presidential
compound on Friday and battled Palestinian security forces
around his headquarters, witnesses said. They swept into
Ramallah, nine miles (15 km) north of Jerusalem, after Israel
declared Arafat its enemy and vowed to isolate him following
the bloodiest Palestinian suicide attack in 18 months of
conflict.
((Jonathan Wright, State Department bureau, +1 202 898 8393,
fax +1 202 659 5254, jonathan.wright@reuters.com))
29 MAR 2002 14:36:33
US mulls "appropriate response" to Mideast events
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