Yasser Arafat's speech to his parliament admitting mistakes and pledging to reform his Palestinian Authority, with "speedy preparations" for elections, drew cautious welcomes Wednesday from the US White House.
"Yasser Arafat's words in his speech were positive, but what's most important to President Bush is to see action more than words," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Ari Fleischer also said, "The president will wait to see whether or not Yasser Arafat and others in the Palestinian Authority actually take actions that lead to a better life for the Palestinian people and actions that lead to a region that can live in more stability and security."
Bush has said the Palestinian leader must overhaul his government for the Middle East peace process to move forward.
Arafat's speech, which received a chilly reception from his parliament, contained no details of his plans. But he pledged to restructure the Palestinian Authority, formed under the 1995 Oslo Interim Agreement with Israel, to "fulfill the principle of a separation of powers."
He said he remained committed to a negotiated peace deal with Israel, also specified in the 1995 pact, and reiterated his opposition to attacks on Israeli civilians.
(Xinhua News Agency May 16, 2002)
