Arafat has not decided whether to seek re-election
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said today he had no immediate plans to step down from power, but at the same time said he has not decided whether to run in January elections.
‘‘It is not only up to me. It will be up to many people,’’ Arafat said in his Ramallah compound where he has been penned up for months, guarded by Israeli tanks and soldiers.
Arafat vowed however that he wouldn’t step down any time soon.
‘‘I have been elected by the people. I am not a coward. I’m not ready to betray the people who elected me,’’ Arafat said.
He said reforms of the Palestinian Authority demanded by the United States were already under way and that he would welcome international participation and support in furthering the process.
