Straw on the siege of President Arafat's HQ

Statement by the Foreign Secretary on the siege of President Arafat's headquarters

The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has expressed his deep concern at the continuing deployment of Israeli troops in Ramallah. He said: 'This blockade and the damage to President Arafat's compound is not justified. I urge an early end to this action.'

Mr Straw said:

"I am deeply concerned by the continuing deployment of Israeli troops in Ramallah and have today instructed our ambassador to raise my concerns directly with the Israeli Government."

"This blockade and the damage to President Arafat's compound is not justified. I urge an early end to this action."

The Foreign Secretary concluded:

"We all understand Israel's paramount need for security and to protect itself from terrorist attack. But it is hard to see how the action in Ramallah will solve the problem of Palestinian violence."

ENDS

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