PARIS -- France reaffirmed Friday that YasserArafat is "the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people" after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a new menace to the president of the Palestinian National Authority.
"We reaffirm that Yasser Arafat is the legitimate leader of thePalestinian people," Spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry Cecile Pozzo di Borgo declared Friday at a news conference to respond to Sharon's remarks.
Sharon said in a recorded speech to be broadcast during the Passover holiday, which will start next week, that Arafat shouldn't think that he is safe in his position, Israeli Channel One TV reported Thursday night.
Paris is waiting for the integrity of Sharon's remarks about Arafat before making a comment, Pozzo di Borgo added.
In September 2003, Israeli cabinet voted that Arafat "was a total impediment to peace" and decided that he would be "removed".Later, Sharon changed the rhetoric, saying that expelling the Palestinian leader was not a realistic option.
The Israeli prime minister had said on many occasions that Israel's calculations for years have been that "expelling him (Arafat) would not be good for Israel."
Following the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin last week, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said that the responses of Arafat and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Ahmed Nasrallah showed that "they understand that this is approaching them."
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