Arafat's peace plea to Britain

Palestinian president Yasser Arafat today called on Britain to help resolve the violent situation in the Middle East.

Failure to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians could threaten stability around the world, he warned.

The Foreign Office said Britain was undertaking "intensive diplomacy" in a bid to help bring the violence to an end, but said Mr Arafat must make a "100% effort" himself to break up the terror groups operating from his territory.

A cycle of Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli retaliation raids has seen almost 1,000 people killed in the Middle East over the past 18 months.

Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Arafat said: "Britain and other countries must act now to stop the situation. I'm asking all our friends to work very hard and very quickly to help end the conflict.

"The whole international community will be directly affected by what happens here. Our peace is the platform for the whole peace."

The veteran PLO leader was speaking in his compound in Ramallah, on the West Bank, where he has been held under virtual house arrest, surrounded by Israeli tanks, for two months.

He said he was "committed" to peace and that the Palestinians were ready to live as "an equal neighbour" alongside Israel. "We are ready to end the conflict," he added.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Palestinian Authority needs to make a 100% effort to prevent Palestinian violence by dismantling the terrorist infrastructures of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the proper detention of terrorists.

"In the meantime, our intensive diplomacy, bilaterally, via the European Union and in coordination with the United States, is aimed at bringing an end to the violence and restoring the political process."

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