Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat walks hand in hand with the Muslim cleric Mufti of Jerusalem Ekrima Sabri, right, and the Latin Patriarch for the Holy Land Michel Sabah, left, as well as other church leaders from the churches. (AP Photo)

U.S. Officials See Some Hope in Arafat's Speech

December 17, 2001, 08:00 AM

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By Scott Lindlaw, AP Staff /font>

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's spokesman acknowledged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Monday for his "constructive words" on halting terrorism against Israel.

"Now what's important is that Chairman Arafat demonstrate that he has: one, the desire; and two, the authority to turn his words into deeds," said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said terrorist attacks, especially suicide bombings, by the Palestinians had "blown up" an American peace initiative last week.

Arafat called for a halt to all "terrorist activities" in a televised speech Sunday to mark Eid al-Fitr, a three-day celebration that follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Bush, too, was honoring the holiday at the White House and invited two dozen Muslim children to celebrate with him in the Diplomatic Reception Room.

Fleischer, asked on Monday about Arafat's speech, said: "They were constructive words indeed but what's necessary now is for him to act on them."

Powell spoke to Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, after Arafat's speech, an Egyptian official said. Maher asked Powell to support the Palestinian leader, saying Arafat had done everything asked of him by the United States and others, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Maher said he hoped U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni -- summoned back to Washington on Saturday -- soon would return to the region, the official said.

The State Department declined to comment on the conversation.

The Bush administration sought for most of this year to be evenhanded in its dealings with Israel and the Palestinians, often calling for restraint from both sides. On Sunday, however, the U.S. criticism and calls for restraint were directed at the Palestinians.

Powell explicitly defended Israeli reprisals for Palestinian attacks that have killed 40 Israelis in recent days. The retaliations left more than 60 Palestinians dead. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "has a responsibility to defend the people of Israel," Powell said.

The spiraling violence coincided roughly with the arrival of Zinni, a retired Marine Corps general who went to the Middle East on Nov. 26 seeking to broker a peace agreement.

He pledged to stay in the region "as long as it takes," but the administration pulled him back amid the escalating death toll.

"All of that was blown up by these terrorist organizations on the Palestinian side," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"The failure is not General Zinni's, it's not the United States government," he said. "The failure is with the parties in the region, especially, I have to say, on the part of the Palestinians for not getting the violence under control."

Zinni is to consult with Bush and Powell about the situation -- meetings that Powell said were planned all along.

The Israeli government said Wednesday it was severing contact with Arafat, whom it labeled "irrelevant."

Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said the United States continued to recognize Arafat as the Palestinian leader. But both insisted he do more to halt the violence.

"We're asking no more of Chairman Arafat than we've asked of every responsible leader, and that is not to allow terrorism to continue in areas that you control," Rice said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)