Peres says Arafat "not our enemy" - German magazine | |
BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres still sees Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as Israel's most important negotiating partner in efforts to find peace, the German magazine Der Spiegel said on Thursday. "Arafat is not our enemy, he is still the most important Palestinian leader," Peres told the weekly, according to the text of an interview due to be published on Saturday. "I think it is a mistake to believe there are others in Arafat's circle who are more ready to talk peace... I agree with U.S. Secretary of State (Colin) Powell. As long as Arafat is the elected leader we have to deal with him," he added. Peres repeated his belief a declaration made last week by Israeli leader Ariel Sharon that Arafat was "irrelevant" was not helpful to efforts to end a year of bloodshed in the country. "Luckily our actual contacts remain undisturbed by this (comment)," Peres said, adding however he was not currently in direct contact with Arafat, who he said had to win back the trust of the international community by clamping down on militant groups. In a separate interview with the magazine, Arafat said Sharon's declaration was "his problem, not mine". He blamed Sharon for the latest violence and criticised Sharon for insisting all militants be brought under control before a new ceasefire can begin. "Nobody in the world can guarantee the behaviour of every citizen. Israel has also been unable to do that, even though it is known that those apparently responsible for some terrorist attacks in Israel come from Israeli territory," Arafat said. ((Berlin newsroom, tel. +49 30 2888 5210)) 20 DEC 2001 14:25:48 Peres says Arafat "not our enemy"- German magazine
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