US lawmakers for sidelining Arafat

Two leading lawmakers said Sunday the world needed to further marginalise Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to boost the latest international peace effort in the Middle East.

"I think we have to sideline Arafat right now," California Repres-entative Jane Harman told Fox News Sunday.

Harman said senior US officials must persuade leaders in the Middle East to shun Arafat, who despite having been marginalized by the United States in its current peace initiatives, remains the head of the Palestinian Authority.

"When (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell goes to Jordan next weekend, he should be spending time with Arab governments making sure they remove Arafat from all political power in the Palestinian Authority," said Harman, senior Democrat on the US House Intelligence Committee.

The best outcome, she said, would be for Arafat to go into exile.

"If he wants to live in the south of France... that would be fine for me," Harman told Fox News.

Senator Diane Feinstein, another Democrat from California, said Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas' efforts to build peace would be undermined as long Arafat held sway in the region.