August 28, 2000 - 18:42 AMT
YASSER ARAFAT: "WE AND THE ARMENIANS ARE ONE PEOPLE"
28.08.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has denied Israeli reports that he had accepted an Israeli proposal to annex the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem.
The Palestinian daily, al-Ayyam, quoted Arafat as saying that he had strongly rejected this proposal. "The Armenian quarter belongs to us and we and the Armenians are one people", said Arafat. According to the Palestine daily, on August 25 the PLO official met with the representatives of the Armenian community in Palestine, and the Armenians declared that "they are partners of the Arabs in the struggle for a free and democratic Palestine".
On January 18, 2000 during the unofficial visit to Jerusalem, a meeting of the Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Yasser Arafat took place in Bethlehem.
Wishing prosperity and peace to Palestinian people, the President of Armenia told Arafat: "Every nation has its leaders, which come and go. But you, having leaded the struggle of your people for so many years, have become an integral part of world politics". The Armenian leader declared that his meeting with the Palestine Authority Chairman is the best indicative that Armenia is in no way trying to play upon the contradictions in the region. "I can firmly declare that our contacts with Israel can no way influence our friendly relations with Iran and the Arabian countries", said Robert Kocharian. -0-