Kuala Lumpur, Oct 05: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not attend the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Malaysia this month, a report said today. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted by the Malay-language Mingguan Malaysia as saying Arafat would not be attending the October 16-18 summit over fears Israel would use the opportunity to take action that would threaten Arafat's position.

Arafat has been confined to his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah for some 22 months. "We fear that Israel would issue an order to shoot Arafat or prevent him from returning back home. Israel would do anything," Syed Hamid said.

The Israeli security cabinet formally approved Arafat's "removal" on September 11, with one minister even suggesting he could be assassinated, after declaring the veteran Palestinian leader an absolute obstacle to peace.

That decision prompted a widespread show of support for Arafat among Palestinians and widespread international condemnation. The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the decision, but the UN General Assembly later overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution calling on Israel not to expel Arafat.

Bureau Report