SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES ISRAEL TO RECONSIDER EXPULSION DECISION
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General strongly urges the Israeli Government to reconsider the Security Cabinet’s decision in principle to expel President Yasser Arafat.� The forcible transfer of President Arafat is dangerous and counter-productive in a situation of tension and instability in the region.
The Secretary-General notes that the trend of developments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent weeks has been increasingly grim.� He urges both sides to live up to their responsibilities under the Quartet’s Road Map and to exercise the utmost restraint and statesmanship.
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