WORLD : Pope Meets Arafat, Draws Fire
Pope John Paul II met today with PLO leader Yasser Arafat and urged him to pursue peace talks with Israel. Israel criticized the meeting and said it was “mystified” at the reception Arafat received.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro said the pontiff met with Arafat to encourage “any positive attitude in the search for peace, and especially to strengthen the will for dialogue as the only valid way to find adequate solutions for conflicts.”
Arafat, in a green military uniform and black-and-white headdress, met the Pope for 20 minutes in the papal library. During the private talks, John Paul reiterated that the Palestinians, as well as the Jews, have the right to a homeland, the papal spokesman said.
The Israeli Embassy condemned Arafat’s reception in Italy and at the Vatican, saying it was “mystified” the Palestine Liberation Organization leader was treated as a “man of peace.” Israel considers the PLO a terrorist organization and refuses to negotiate with it.
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