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| Middle East |
| Powell Has no Plan to Answer Arafat's Letter |
| 2002-07-13 |
| Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has written a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell on reforms being undertaken by the Palestinian Authority, but officials say he is unlikely to get a high-level U.S. reply. At a briefing here, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that Secretary Powell has read the Arafat letter but has no plans to respond to it. "The letter that you're speaking of is a letter that we received earlier this week from Chairman Arafat for Secretary Powell," he said. "In it, he discusses recent moves at reform by Palestinians. We're reviewing the letter, the secretary has read the letter. The staff is examining it and considering it. We will consider the ideas that are presented. The secretary, as you know, has stated that he doesn't have any plans for contacting Chairman Arafat. That remains the case." Dear Mr Arafat: Thank you for your letter of the 12th instant. While we appreciate your interest in bringing peace to the Middle East, we are unable to reply immediately to all the correspondence we receive on the subject. A member of our staff has been assigned to examine your concerns and you will receive a reply in the near future. Sincerely, The United States |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |