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Arafat Speech Covers Old Ground

(New York Times) - In a rambling, hour-long speech Tuesday, Yasser Arafat treated restless Palestinian legislators to a familiar litany of grievances and exhortations, but failed to discuss political reforms, as many had hoped, or to make the explicit condemnation of suicide bombings that foreign leaders had sought. The statement fell well short of recent explicit demands by Mr. Arafat's interior minister, Abdel Razak Yehiyeh, that all Palestinian factions abandon suicide attacks. Many Palestinian legislators had hoped that Mr. Arafat would go much further, endorsing the appointment of an executive prime minister and giving the council a greater role.
2002-09-10 00:00:00
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