UK: LONDON: PALESTINIAN LEADER YASSER ARAFAT MEETS JOHN MAJOR

English/Nat Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has called on the new Israeli prime minister to pull out of Israeli-occupied Hebron on June 12 as agreed with the outgoing Peres government. Speaking after a meeting with British Prime Minister John Major in London, Mr Arafat also reiterated his commitment to the Arab/Israeli peace process. He called on the new right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the same commitment. On the first day of his two-day visit to Britain, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met with British Prime Minister John Major for talks on the Arab/Israeli peace process. Just days after a right-wing government was elected in Israel, Arafat reiterated his commitment to the Arab/Israeli peace process. But he stressed that the agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis was an international one which would need global support to sustain. SOUNDBITE: "We are committed to the peace process. We are committed to what has been signed and hope others will be committed like us, equally like us. And we are respecting the democratic choice of the Israeli people in the last election, and we hope that we will continue with them the peace process." SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader Mr Arafat called on the new right-wing Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to make the same commitment. SOUNDBITE: "(Q: Chairman Arafat, if you had the opportunity to speak to Bibi Netanyahu, what message would you give him?) To continue with the peace process, the peace of the brave, which we have signed with my partners, Mr Yitzhak Rabin and Mr Peres." SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader He also urged the Israeli prime minister to withdraw from Hebron, the last Israeli-occupied area of the West Bank ,on June the 12th as agreed. SOUNDBITE: "I hope that they will withdraw from Hebron exactly according to what has been agreed upon between us and the Israeli government on the 12th of this month." SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader Major assured Arafat of Britain's support for the peace process: SOUNDBITE: "I very much hope that those negotiations will be able to continue as soon as possible and that further progress will be made towards a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. And I assured the president that it is very much Britain's policy to facilitate that in any way that she can." SUPER CAPTION: John Major, British Prime Minister But whether the Israelis will withdraw from Hebron in just over a week as scheduled now looks doubtful. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/23b8e3f2a64ef5afcd71f3df7fd22202 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork