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| Middle East |
| Arafat offers to meet Bush |
| 2002-07-01 |
| Palestinian leader-for-life Yasser Arafat (1929-2002?) offered on Sunday to meet U.S. President George W. Bush "anytime, anywhere" to promote Middle East peace despite Bush's call for his removal from power. "I'm gonna meet with this guy and sucker him. I'm General Arafat! I can sucker anyone! Long's I can get them to pay attention to me... Yo! Over here...!" Arafat also referred to Bush's recent Middle East policy address, which effectively linked a future Palestinian state to Arafat's ouster, as "important." As in "it's really important we get a state without me getting dumped..." "I would like to meet President Bush anytime at a place of his choice so we can work towards comprehensive peace," Arafat speaking by satellite link, told an audience of businessmen and political leaders in the Swiss Crans Montana mountain resort. Didja ever notice that every time Yasser's getting really, truly thumped he's ready for a ceasefire/to hold talks/wants to shine Powell's shoes? He noted Bush was "the first U.S. president to propose an independent Palestinian state." He's probably not the first. You guys just couldn't hear them through all the explosions... "It is absolutely impossible. None of my ministers can come and visit me and hold any meetings. It is impossible to achieve reform in such a situation," Arafat said through an interpreter. "Damn those Jews! If it wasn't for them we'da had peace years ago!" Arafat, who again condemned the suicide bombings, said that he was ready to go "anywhere in the world" to renew peace talks, but the Israeli government was not interested in a just solution to the conflict. "Of course we are against terrorism, we are making every effort to end terrorist acts, particularly against Israel," he said in reply to a question. "Yup. Our 22 well-trained, competent security organizations are gonna start rounding up boomers any day now..." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |