RAMALLAH, West Bank, 16 September 2004 — Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds urged Yasser Arafat yesterday to play his part in creating a Palestinian society as she paid a rare visit by a top Western diplomat to the veteran leader here.
“Sweden will continue to support the creation of an independent and peaceful Palestinian state besides the state of Israel and we will continue helping you, Mr. President, but you have to help also,” she told reporters after lunch with Arafat in his besieged West Bank headquarters. “You have a responsibility for creating a Palestinian society.”
Freivalds blew any hope of being received by Israeli officials by meeting with Arafat who has been confined by Israeli troops to his offices since December 2001. The Israeli government has dismissed Arafat as an obstacle to peace and wants European Union governments to follow the United States in boycotting him.
Freivalds was the first EU foreign minister to meet with Arafat since a controversial trip by France’s Michel Barnier in June.
Arafat has been urged by the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to yield more power to his moderate Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei amid a collapse of law and order in the Palestinian territories.
Freivalds also held talks with Qorei before her lunchtime meeting in the Muqataa headquarters.
Arafat himself praised the Swedish government’s help in the peace process, recalling how he held a landmark meeting with influential American Jews in Stockholm in 1988, a first tentative step which was to lead to the Oslo peace accords with Israel.
“The peace of the brave started in 1988 in Stockholm,” said Arafat.
He added that the Palestinians continued to support the internationally drafted Middle East peace road map which has struggled to make any progress since its launch last year, accusing Sharon of trying to undermine the blueprint which aims for the creation of a Palestinian state next year.
“We know that he (Sharon) from the start had 14 reservations on the roadmap but we will always be fully committed to the peace process,” said Arafat.
