Arafat Tried to Keep War ‘Within Arab Family’ : Mideast: PLO leader accuses Baker of trying to solve the crisis by jumping over the Palestinian problem. ‘How?’ he asks.

Question: Throughout the Gulf crisis, there were predictions that the Palestinians would pay a very heavy price for the position taken by the leadership. Have these predictions come to pass?

Answer: Every day now, many of the realities and facts begin to be clear and obvious. And everybody began to understand that we were in the right position. Because we wanted to avoid this war and to solve it within the Arab family. . . . What happened? What is the results? Two Arab states have been completely ruined. The infrastructure of the Iraqi people has been completely destroyed and the oil fields have been now burned. It needs at least five to 10 years to control it. And the infrastructure of the Iraqi people, at least 10 years to reconstruct it. According to the symposium which has been held at Georgetown University, the losses of the Arabs in this war was $438 billion. Imagine!

Q: What do the Gulf countries want from the PLO before relations are normalized?

A: To accept the Baker plan . . . .

Q: Is this Baker peace process at this point going anywhere at all?

A: I don’t know how he will solve this Middle East crisis while he is trying to over jump the Palestinian problem. How? No one can hide the sun with his finger. No one can say no for the self-determination for 6.5 million Palestinians. . . . You have done all this big military operation to protect 300,000 Kuwaitis. Why not do the same to protect the Palestinians from the daily massacres, from the daily oppression, from the discrimination, from the aggressions they are facing from the Israeli army, from the Israeli armed settlers . . .

Q: Under what minimum conditions do you see the peace process moving forward with your blessing?

A: Certainly that the international legality be implemented in Palestine as it has in the Gulf. Fair? I’m not asking them to send their armada, or to send off a million soldiers. But at least to make political pressure on the Israelis to accept United Nations resolutions to be implemented. To accept international legality. Or there is double standard.

Q: In terms of practical mechanisms for getting the process started, what are the minimum standards you see as governing any kind of peace conference?

A: Withdrawal, and I accept for a transitional period United Nations forces or multinational forces, including American forces, as have been accepted when I left Beirut.. . . During this period we will have elections, we will make all our arrangements. And at the same time, this will give complete security for the Israelis.

Q: It seems many of the conference proponents are inclined to look at a framework that would resemble the Camp David structure, in which Palestinians would at least initially be offered some form of autonomy, with elections.

A: Why? Why? Why? Why? Why I have to accept this, to give the chance for new immigration to swallow all my land? By building new settlements everywhere? This means it is not a settlement. It means it is a conspiracy against peace. You want to give the chance for Israelis to continue swallowing the land, confiscating the land, building new settlements, bringing new Jews from the Soviet Union, millions or five millions? OK, if this is your target, there will be no peace . . . .

Q: The question keeps coming up about whether the Palestinians would agree to be represented jointly on a delegation with the Jordanians.

A: Why? Discrimination? We are low classes? Sub-human? This is discrimination. It is for the first time in the history that what had been declared or unmasked about the deal between the American administration and the Israeli government that the Israelis have the right to put a veto on the Palestinian representatives. Give me one example all over history. Even those who have been defeated, they have the right to send a delegation to sign the agreement of defeat. . . . Is this your new order?

Q: The Baker initiative seems to be the only thing on the table right now. What happens if it doesn’t work?

A: Don’t forget that the typhoon is still waiting. The typhoon of turmoil, the cyclone. What is going now everywhere, everywhere under the surface. Explosions . . .

Q: It seems that some of the people in your organization, even some of the historic moderates, are beginning to re-evaluate their positions in the wake of the crisis.

A: Inside the occupied territories, I am facing big pressure, why not to use the weapons within our intifada? Believe me. Till now, we have the control. But for how long? I am speaking frankly. But for how long?

Q: Do you have anything else to offer the other parties as a way of advancing the peace process, or have you made your last concession?

A: Any negotiations, as long as you have accepted negotiations, we have United Nations resolutions as the basis, but nobody will imagine what will be the final results.