Rep. Paul Findley (R. III.), a member of the House International Relations Committee, said yesterday that Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat would accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in a Palestinian state. Findley revealed this comment in Aswan, Egypt, where he and other 14 members of the committee had met with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
Findley and four of the Congressmen met with Arafat in Damascus last Thursday. The Illinois Congressman quoted Arafat as saying, “I am ready to accept a peacekeeping force after the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank of Jordan and the Gaza Strip.”
Findley also quoted Arafat as saying that he would consider a force drawn from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council–the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France and China–but would not decide until the possibility of a Palestinian state arose “whether to exclude Soviet and American troops from such a peace keeping force.”
Findley said that when Sadat was told of Arafat’s comments the Egyptian President replied, “excellent.” He said that Arafat told him he considered Sadat a friend, who had embarked on a “mistaken course.” The Republican Congressman is expected to report on his talks with Arafat to President Carter. Carter has agreed with the Israeli view that a Palestinian state would result in a radical Soviet-dominated country that would be a threat to the area.
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