(State Department) Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday: "We talked to Chairman Arafat for...close to a year and a half of the Administration, trying to find a way forward....But we finally came to the conclusion that we needed new leadership on the Palestinian side....We do not think he [Arafat] has been an effective interlocutor toward peace, and therefore we thought the world would be better served, the region would be better served, the Palestinians would be better served if we can empower a prime minister who was operating with authority." "It is difficult...to have dialogue or conversations with those organizations that continue to espouse terror as a political tool that can be used to achieve their purposes."
2004-08-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive