In Jerusalem by 1991, Arafat Says
PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat said there will be a Palestinian state and he will be in Jerusalem within two years, according to an interview published in the Spanish daily El Pais.
“In less than two years, the Palestinian state will be a reality,” he was quoted as telling a group of journalists in Tunis, Tunisia, on Wednesday. The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who was born in the holy city, invited them to visit him in Jerusalem before the end of 1991.
“In two years in Jerusalem,” he said.
He said the visit to Moscow by Secretary of State James A. Baker III is very important for Palestinians. “We are at the top of the agenda.” he said.
Arafat said he believes that preparations for an international conference to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, attended by the PLO, could start in less than six months.
Asked about his relations with the United States, Arafat said, “I trust that George Bush will be the first U.S. head of state to receive the president of Palestine in the White House.”
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