Jerusalem, Apr 27: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has decided not to prevent foreign dignitaries from visiting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli radio said today, as the region geared up for a flurry of diplomatic activity amid new peace hopes. The Israeli premier and his foreign minister Silvan Shalom agreed in a meeting that such a policy would only damage Israel`s own interests, the radio said.

Sharon had planned to boycott foreign officials who met with Arafat instead of restricting their business to his Israeli-approved moderate premier, Mahmud Abbas, the radio said.

Sharon and Shalom did however say that foreign officials "have no reason to meet Arafat, in as much as Israel does not consider him an interlocutor."

The hardline Israeli leader declared Arafat "irrelevant" after a series of devastating Palestinian bombings in December 2001, isolating him in his Ramallah offices and twice besieging him with tanks.
The Israeli leaders added that any talks by foreign officials with Arafat would hurt the standing of Abbas, who last week emerged victorious from a bitter showdown with the veteran Palestinian leader, who had refused to approve his new cabinet line-up.
An Israeli foreign ministry official declined to comment on the radio report.

Bureau Report