Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 1, 1990 TAG: 9006010036
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BAGHDAD, IRAQ LENGTH: Medium
The Palestine Liberation Front, a PLO faction, claimed responsibility for the attempted raid Wednesday. Israeli forces foiled the raid as the guerrillas headed for the Israeli coast in six speedboats.
The PLF is headed by Mohammed Abbas, who uses the nom de guerre Abul Abbas and masterminded the Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking.
Asked whether he would expel Abbas from the elected PLO Executive Committee for the attempted raid, Arafat said: "He was elected in a democratic way by the Palestine National Council, and only the council has a say on that."
Arafat, chairman of the PLO and recognized by Arab countries as president of a state of Palestine, said, "We are a democratic organization and decisions should be taken democratically."
Israeli officials have urged the United States to suspend its 17-month dialogue with the PLO. They said the raid proved that Arafat had violated his 1988 pledge to renounce terrorism. That pledge helped lead to the U.S.-PLO dialogue.
Israeli officials claimed Abbas had met Arafat in Tunisia five days before the attempted raid.
Asked whether he condemned the raid, Arafat told reporters, "We in the PLO are not responsible for the operation and we have no connection with it."
Asked again if he could give a flat statement condemning the raid, Arafat responded, "What I declared was clear and obvious."
Arafat said the raid could be used by Israel as a pretext to attack Arab countries in retaliation, even though no Israeli casualties were reported Wednesday. Four Palestinian guerrillas were killed and 12 were captured.
He named Iraq, Libya, Jordan and south Lebanon as possible targets for Israeli revenge.
Arafat accused Israel of frustrating all efforts to end the Arab-Israeli conflict and blamed Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's policies toward the Palestinians as being the main cause behind tension and instability in the area.
"I have always warned that Israeli violence against my people will lead to a situation of instability and will lead to reactions," he said, referring to the raid Wednesday.
The PLO leader, who spoke with reporters at the Palestinian Embassy in Baghdad, said he was surprised by the American reaction to the raid.
State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said Wednesday that if the PLO were behind the attack, the United States would "view this as a very serious matter."
by CNB