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SV Arafat with interpreter
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TRANSCRIPT: SEQ. 1: REPORTER: "There have been allegations made by the Fedayeen, by yourself, that this was an attempt by King Hussein at genocide, to get rid of the Fedayeen, the Palestinians; do you still stand by that?"



INTERPRETER: "Unfortunately, regrettably, this is the truth. Ten (INDISTINCT) states have (INDISTINCT) condemned it in the conference of Arab heads of state, some of which are friendly to the Government, to the system of King Hussein. This conspiracy has been planned for and by the American Central Intelligence Agency, the C.I.A. And the western peoples bear responsibility for this crime.



"One further point we should bring up. Till when must our people have to pay the price for the crimes of the Nazis? And what is the crime that we have committed against the west for the western peoples to put all their attempts to annihilate us? We have been expelled from our land. When we try to go back to our land through the United Nations we achieve no success, we fail.... And when we try to bear arms, conspiracy increases around us. In spite of all this our people are still determined either to die or to live honourably."




Initials JON/PN/BB/0225



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian revolutionary leader, told reporters in Amman yesterday (Saturday, 10 October), that the recent bitter fighting in Jordan was an attempt at genocide, Arafat, who spoke through an interpreter, was giving his first press conference since the civil war in Jordan. King Hussein, he alleged, wanted to be rid of the Palestinians. And the other Arab states had condemned the fighting, he said, as an attempt to get rid of the Palestinians.

Arafat, at his press conference, alleged that the strife in Jordan was planned by the American Central Intelligence Agency; and that because of this the whole of the western world bore some responsibility for the events in Jordan.