UN urge Arafat to give Gaza pullout a chance

2.00pm

RAMALLAH - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Yasser Arafat to give Israel's Gaza pullout plan a chance, saying Palestinians should crack down on militant violence to help revive a broader peace effort.

In unusually tough language, Annan, in a letter obtained by Reuters, also criticised the Palestinian president for failing to meet obligations under a US-backed peace "road map", including security reforms and putting an end to suicide bombings.

He said Israel must likewise carry out its road map requirements to dismantle Jewish settler outposts and freeze construction in larger, established settlements.

"You are aware...that the Palestinian side too has obligations it has not fulfilled," Annan told Arafat. "The Palestinian Authority should immediately start taking effective measures to curb terrorism and violence."

He said "decisive actions" by Arafat "would help the international community ensure that any withdrawal from Gaza is part of the implementation of the road map and not a substitute for it".

An adviser to Arafat, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said his office was pleased with the letter because it "reiterates the need to implement security council resolutions, the illegality of Jewish settlements and the establishment of two states".

"The letter also reminds the two sides of their commitments in the road map," Abu Rdainah said.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral "disengagement" plan calls for evacuation of all settlements in Gaza and four of 120 enclaves in the West Bank.

Annan's letter, received on Thursday, was a response to Arafat's written complaint on April 15 about Sharon's proposal and US President George W Bush's endorsement of it.

Bush angered Palestinians and the Arab world by giving Sharon unprecedented support for holding on to some occupied West Bank land and barring the return of Palestinian refugees to what is now Israel.

In his letter, Annan strongly criticised Israel for its assassination of militant leaders and for building settlements on occupied land, which he said violated international law.

But he urged Arafat not to reject Sharon's Gaza pullout plan, saying it could help revive stalled peace moves.

He said, however, the international community would judge the Palestinian Authority foremost on the extent to which it fights violence.

"Suicide bombings that target civilians are against international law and the Palestinian Authority should do all in its power to end them once and for all," he said.

Israel and the United States have tried to isolate Arafat, accusing him of fomenting violence, an allegation he denies.

Annan reassured Arafat that the international community would not recognise the Gaza pullout as an end to occupation.

"The Gaza withdrawal, if carried out in a way consistent with the road map, could provide an opportunity to renew the peace process. For this to happen, the withdrawal needs to be full and complete," Annan wrote.

- REUTERS