Abbas: I know who killed Arafat

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he knows the person responsible for the death of late President Yasser Arafat.

“You ask me who killed him, I know — but my testimony alone is not enough… A commission of inquiry is digging into that, but you’ll find out at the earliest opportunity and be amazed when you know who did it,” Abbas said during a ceremony organised by the Fatah movement yesterday in the Palestinian presidential headquarters in Ramallah to commemorate the 12th anniversary of Arafat’s death.

“I do not want to mention names, because these names do not deserve to be remembered,” he added.

Remarking on the peace process, Abbas said he was still reaching out for peace based on “justice and equality” and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Israel rejects peace and the implementation of all signed agreements. We searched for an alternative and came up with the Paris Peace Conference scheduled before the end of the year to find an international mechanism to end the occupation. We hope it will succeed,” he added.

The PA chief said the Palestinian efforts continue to gain full membership in the United Nations, and submit a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to condemn illegal settlements.

Remarking on the reconciliation with Hamas, Abbas said he was ready for “any solution” adding that “the solution is to return to the people as the sole sources of power through free presidential, parliamentary and local elections.”

Arafat died in France on 11 November 2004, at the age of 75. Doctors were unable to specify the cause of death.