Arafat Claims U.S. Has OKd His Entry Visa for U.N. Speech
PLO chief Yasser Arafat said today the United States has agreed to give him an entry visa so he can address the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The U.S. State Department said no visa was issued.
Arafat, after a meeting with Foreign Minister Esmat Abdel-Meguid, indicated in remarks to reporters that the visa was obtained with President Hosni Mubarak’s help.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Charles E. Redman said no visa application has been received from Arafat. He said that if an application is received, it will be subjected to “severe scrutiny.”
State Department officials indicated, however, that Egypt and other moderate Arab states had asked the United States to grant Arafat a visa. The officials said the United States had not given Egypt or any of the others any indication that it would respond favorably to their request. Congress has authorized the denial of visas to supporters of terrorism.
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