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Saudi Prince Offers Israel Land-for-Peace Deal
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
(1:12 PM ET) (18:12 GMT)
The Cable News Network

Yasser Arafat makes remarks Wednesday from Ramallah, via the Arabic satellite news network Al-Jazeera.
Image Credit: CNN.

Israel has said that if all Palestinians who were removed from what became Israel were to return along with their heirs, Israel would no longer be a Jewish state.

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- CNN
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah called Wednesday for the Arab world to establish "normal relations" and security for Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, allowing the "return of refugees" and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

A short time after Abdullah's speech, however, the summit was thrown into confusion when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was not allowed to address the summit live via satellite.

Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Arafat had been scheduled to speak after Abdullah to offer his support for the Saudi initiative.

But Arafat's broadcast was blocked and the host of the summit, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, adjourned the session.

Members of the Palestinian delegation walked out of the session after learning that the Lebanese wanted Arafat to record his remarks for presentation later.

Lebanese officials huddled with the Palestinians trying to work out a compromise, but a member of the Palestinian delegation, Nabil Sha'ath, said the Palestinians would not return to the summit unless Arafat gets a chance to speak to the leaders on live television.

The Israeli government reacted to the Saudi proposal with caution, but Alon Pinkas, the Israeli consul general in New York, told CNN that Israel is ready to discuss the initiative.
(More: CNN.com News Source)
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Dan