Zinni says Arafat a liar, compares him to New York Mafia chief

Posted by From Haaretz on January 27, 19102 at 08:17:13:

Zinni says Arafat a liar, compares him to New York Mafia chief

By Natan Guttman and Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz Correspondents, Ha'aretz Service, and
agencies

U.S. envoy to the Middle East Anthony Zinni, speaking in Washington at the
weekend, called Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat an unreformed liar
and compared him to a Mafia boss akin to New York Mafioso Carlo Gambino.

Zinni also compared the Palestinian security service leaders to Mafia bosses
who boast about their weapons and the number of people they have killed.

In contrast, Zinni described Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in warm terms, called
him a "Papa-Bear" who had aided him during his mission to the region.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) expressed satisfaction Saturday with the U.S.
decision to delay Zinni's return to the region, a decision that reflects
increased pressure on Yasser Arafat.

However, the PMO emphasized that Israel supports Zinni's mission. Defense
Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer also expressed his support for "all American
steps," and noted that Zinni's mission would be renewed at "the proper time."

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was less enthusiastic with the announcement. A
senior political source said that the decision to freeze Zinni's mission
was "surprising" because the mission was supposed to bring about a cease-fire
between the two sides and a resumption of negotiations. The source said that
freezing the mission implies that the U.S. decided that "both sides can
continue to bleed."

In an interview on PBS's "NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" over the weekend, U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated President George Bush's remarks that
Arafat must take measures to rout out terror. Powell stated that, "This is in
some ways a moment of truth for Chairman Arafat."

Bush on Friday expressed disappointment in Arafat over the Karine A weapons
ship that both Israel and the U.S. says was headed for the Palestinian
Authority.

Bush's comments came as he and his top foreign policy aides considered options
for punishing Arafat including the severing of ties with the PA.

"I am disappointed in Yasser Arafat. He must make a full effort to rout out
terror in the Middle East. Ordering up weapons that were intercepted on a boat
headed for that part of the world is not part of fighting terror, that's
enhancing terror. And obviously we're very disappointed in him," Bush said.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Saturday he feared Bush's
criticism of Arafat would be used by Israel to take harsher measures to try to
quell the Palestinian uprising.

"I always thought that the American role is to save the lives of Palestinians
and Israelis," Erekat said. "I'm afraid that these American statements will be
understood by Sharon as a green light to escalate the aggression."

Arafat himself declined to comment directly on Bush's remarks. But asked if the
United States should be doing more to bring peace to the region, he said: "No
doubt."

"What's needed now by the United States as a sponsor of this peace process is
not to reward Sharon or to insinuate that he has a green light but to stop
him... and to send General Zinni here," Erekat said.

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