Namibia-Style Accord Is Acceptable Formula for Palestinians, Arafat Says

Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Wednesday that an agreement like the accords for an independent Namibia would solve the Palestinians’ dispute with Israel.

“Give me the agreement of Namibia and I will sign it--right now,” he told reporters shortly before concluding a four-day visit to Japan. “Why not follow it (the Namibia agreement) and implement it--exactly--in Palestine?”

Under the Namibia accords, worked out with the help of Washington, South Africa has agreed to end its control over neighboring Namibia and accept an independent government to be chosen in elections next month under U.N. supervision.

Arafat also said he supports a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis, as President Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak proposed Monday in Washington.

He said that like Mubarak, he is waiting for Israel to respond to the 10-point initiative Mubarak put forth on Israeli treatment of Palestinians and elections in the Israeli-occupied territories. But he said his acceptance of the Bush-Mubarak proposal for a Palestinian-Israeli dialogue is a separate matter from Israel’s reply to Mubarak.

He insisted that Israel is obligated to reply to Mubarak. The Israeli Cabinet is scheduled to meet today to discuss the initiative.

Arafat said he has still not received official notification from Egypt of the contents of Mubarak’s talks with Bush.

“But in general,” he said, “we support the effort by President Bush and President Mubarak to push forward the peace process.” He said the Bush-Mubarak talks were “very positive.”

Arafat was asked whether he considers the official U.S.-PLO dialogue that began early this year fruitful in view of criticism of such contacts by members of the U.S. Congress, and he replied:

“America is a democratic country. Everyone, including those in Congress, has a right to an opinion. . . . I, too, have opposition (within the PLO) to a dialogue. . . . But at last we are dealing with the (U.S.) President and his Administration.”