AL QUDS, July 12: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday urged Europe to distance itself from Yasser Arafat, charging that the Palestinian leader is an obstacle to the peace process, as he prepared to make a trip to Europe beginning this weekend.

“It is a major mistake to keep up contact with Arafat because he is undermining Abu Mazen’s government,” Sharon told Britain’s right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Mahmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was reluctantly named by Arafat in April as the first Palestinian prime minister following US and Israeli pressure to sideline the head of the Palestinian Authority.

Sharon is to travel to London on Sunday to meet British counterpart Tony Blair for talks aimed at advancing the Middle East peace process and mending strained ties between the two countries.

It appeared likely Sharon, who gave a similar interview to Friday’s Italian daily Corriere della Sera, would use the trip to try to bring further pressure on Arafat.

“Arafat still controls the larger part of their armed forces, and part of the money, and he has got all those telephone calls from leaders, mostly from Europe,” Sharon told The Daily Telegraph.

“Every act of this nature only postpones progress. Most European countries are doing that. They are undermining Abu Mazen,” Sharon said.

Sharon will also be holding talks with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Monday, then meeting with the leaders of Britain’s Jewish community on Tuesday before travelling to Norway on Wednesday.

The peace process along the international “roadmap” has continued to advance haltingly since Palestinian militant groups agreed at the end of last month to a temporary ceasefire.

Sharon is expected in Washington at the end of the month for meetings with US President George W. Bush which could give peace efforts new momentum.

But it is widely thought that Abbas would not go to the United States until the siege imposed on Arafat in his Ramallah headquarters is lifted by the Israeli army.

High-level security talks took place Thursday evening but failed to yield any breakthrough on the key issues.—AFP