July 17, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423

NEW YORK, July 16: The international diplomatic quartet on the Middle East on Tuesday endorsed US President George W. Bush’s call for a Palestinian state within three years, but its members were sharply divided over his demand for Yasser Arafat’s ouster.

The United Nations, the European Union and Russia all said at a meeting here they continued to recognize Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinians and would continue to deal with him in that capacity.

UN chief Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and the Danish foreign minister all voiced support for the Palestinian leader during a press conference here.—AFP