Not being there

President Arafat was not at the summit, but it is not such a bad thing
History repeated itself this week, Nevine Khalilreports. The same players, the same place, but different circumstances. In 1982, the leader of the PLO, Yasser Arafat was driven out of Beirut when forces under the command of Israeli Defence Minister Ariel Sharon invaded Lebanon to rout out Palestinian guerrillas.
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon decided to stop Palestinian President Arafat from being in Beirut to attend an Arab summit.
Arafat has been under virtual house arrest in the West Bank town of Ramallah since 3 December, and needed Israeli permission to travel abroad. Sharon refused to give Arafat the go- ahead, and had the audacity to suggest that he should attend the summit himself to present his views. The remark drew a quip from Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa who suggested that the League "would look into whether it would allow Sharon to come, and whether he would be allowed to return to Israel."
But already, many Arab leaders and observers had said that it was best that Arafat stay away from the summit. President Hosni Mubarak told An-Nahar newspaper on the eve of the summit that "if I were in [Arafat's] shoes, and [Israel] allowed me to leave, I would not. They could let [Arafat] out but prevent him from coming back." Tel Aviv said it may not allow Arafat back in depending on what he says and does at the summit.
Like the rest of the world, and until a few hours before the summit opened yesterday, Palestinian officials were unsure and confused about whether Arafat will attend or not. Some, like Palestinian Minister of Information Yasser Abed Rabbo, had said earlier in the week that Arafat will take part in the summit and Israel's decision on this issue was irrelevant. On the other hand, Palestinian Minister for International Cooperation Nabil Shaath, in Beirut, said that Arafat will not attend if there is a political price to pay or conditions imposed by Israel on his exit and return to the Palestinian territories. "Chances are no more than 10 per cent that Arafat will attend," he said on Sunday night. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat agreed, saying that Arafat will not succumb to Israeli pressure to make compromises in return for attending the summit. "Whether Arafat attends or not should be up to him," said Moussa. "His decision serves the interests of his people."
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher opined that "Arafat will remain in Ramallah to lead his people," adding that the Palestinian leader "would not be absent at the summit because all Arab delegations will represent Palestine and its interests."
Although the Saudi initiative proposed by Crown Prince Abdullah commits all Arabs to normal relations with Israel, the first step is concluding a peace deal between the Israelis and each of the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. "They need the main party in Palestine, the leader, to discuss this with the others and endorse it," said Mohamed Sobeih, the Palestinian representative at the Arab League.
"I prefer that Arafat remain among his people, his fighters who protect him with their lives," argued Palestine Liberation Organisation representative in Beirut Shafik El- Hout. "He should wait to see what the outcome will be. If the decisions are in line with what the Palestinians are trying to do, he should send his approval, even by fax; and if he doesn't like them, then he is absolved of the decisions because he was not there." El-Hout added that the Palestinian people would continue their Intifada if decisions at the summit are unacceptable to them.
Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo agreed, saying that if Arafat does not attend the summit, then the Palestinians will not be bound with whatever decisions are taken in Beirut. "The decisions will be irrelevant because Palestine was absent," he said. But Moussa said that the Palestinian leadership sent assurances ahead of the summit that it will accept the decisions of the Arab summit, whether Arafat attends or not.
There were efforts by the Americans, Europeans and various Arab leaders to ascertain Arafat's presence, but they fell on deaf ears. Washington called on Sharon to give "serious consideration" to allowing Arafat to travel to Lebanon. "The president wants to see the meeting in Beirut focus on ideas for peace and the president believes that the Saudi initiative is an idea that deserves to be focused on," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer on Monday. However, Washington's prodding stopped short of a phone call from US President George W Bush to Sharon.
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