US links Arafat to weapons ship

WASHINGTON - The "case is very compelling" that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was involved in the shipment of arms seized by Israel last week, United States officials say.

"We had some pretty extensive briefings with an Israeli intelligence team today and feel the case is very compelling that senior Palestinian Authority figures and Fatah people were involved with this shipment," a senior US official said yesterday.

While not saying Arafat initiated the shipment, he said it was apparent that arranging for the shipment involved "decisions and actions of such a nature that one would assume they would have to have been made at the highest level".

"From the information provided by the Israelis, we would strongly suspect that Arafat knew about the shipment."

The official said the Bush Administration was demanding that Arafat "stop the people who are doing this, including cutting off parts of his own Fatah organisation that are involved", as well as cracking down on Islamic militant groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah.

Earlier, a senior State Department official said that if Arafat was responsible it would have consequences for the way the US looked at the Palestinian leader. But the US would continue to press for a truce and peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, he added.

Israel seized the boat containing arms in the Red Sea about 500km from its shores last week.

It said the ship was carrying 50 tonnes of Iranian-supplied munitions to Gaza on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in violation of the Oslo accords of 1993. The Palestinian Authority denies it organised the shipment.

US officials said they were also convinced the shipment originated from Iran and was further proof that Iran "supports violence and terrorism".

Earlier yesterday, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Colin Powell had urged Arafat to provide a quick explanation for the contested arms shipment.

"The secretary did talk to Chairman Arafat this morning and reminded him of the seriousness that we attach to this issue and the urgent need for a full explanation," spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Boucher said Arafat reiterated to Powell that he was not involved in the arms shipment. Boucher also said the US, which gives Israel about $US2 billion ($4.7 billion) a year in weaponry, objected to the $US100 million shipment to the Palestinians on the grounds that it contributed to the escalation of violence. Arabs complain that Israel uses US weapons to kill Palestinians.

Twelve Israeli tanks and bulldozers stormed the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah and started razing homes early yesterday.

The action came less than 24 hours after members of Hamas killed four Israeli soldiers in Israel, just across the border from the Rafah area.

The Hamas raid shattered a three-week lull in violence that began after Arafat's December 16 televised plea for a halt to attacks on Israel.

- REUTERS

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