UN Radio: Annan Urges Israel To Not Expel Arafat
Secretary-General Urges Israel to Reconsider Expulsion of Chairman Arafat
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly urged the Israeli government to reconsider its decision in principle to
expel Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. In a statement the Secretary-General said the forcible transfer of
Chairman Arafat was dangerous and counter-productive in a situation of tension and instability in the region. UN
spokesman Fred Eckhard:
"The Secretary-General notes that the trend of developments in the Israeli Palestinian conflict in recent weeks has been
increasingly grim. He urges both sides to live up to their responsibilities under the Quartet's Road Map and to exercise
utmost restraint and statesmanship."
The Road Map is a plan to resolve the Israeli Palestinian conflict, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state.