September 8, 2003	Monday	Rajab 10, 1424

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NEW YORK, Sept 7: Denouncing Israeli policy of targeted assassination, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday that he was opposed to the idea of exiling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as suggested by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other Israeli leaders.

Appearing on ABC news programme “This Week” Powell asserted that sending Arafat was not a good idea because it would “put him on the world stage as opposed to the stage he is currently occupying.”

Although recently Powell sought Mr Arafat’s help in controlling the radicals he flatly rejected the idea of further dealings with Arafat.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Powell denounced Israel’s policy of targeted assassination of suspected terror group leaders, such as Saturday’s attack on the apartment of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin.

He said that the next Palestinian prime minister needs clear control over security forces to crack down on terrorist groups, or progress toward peace in the Middle East will stall.

“That person has to have political authority and the determination to go after terrorism,” Powell said. Otherwise, he said, the new Palestinian leader will be unable to restore life to the US-developed peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, known as the road map.

“If that person does not make a solid commitment to follow the road map, go after terrorism and stop these terrorist attacks, then it’s not clear that we’ll be able to move forward,” Powell said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation on Saturday.

“We did everything we could to support Abbas,” Powell said. “The major challenge we had, and he had, was that Hamas, a terrorist organization, would not stop its terrorist activities.