former Palestinian security affairs minister Mohamed Dahlan credited Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi on Sunday with mediating an end to the rift between him and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Dahlan, arrived to Tripoli in a surprise visit to convey Arafat’s gratitude to Gadhafi for reconciling the rift.
Gadhafi ‘has a lasting print on Palestinian relations, and he has contributed a great deal to normalizing affairs between me and the Palestinian president,’ Dahlan told reporters.
‘I met with President Arafat and he now considers the disagreements behind us.’ He added.
On August 23, Arafat and Dahlan held a meeting, following unrest in the Gaza Strip linked to growing dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority.
Libyan officials said Dahlan had visited Libya to meet Gadhafi before his August meeting with Arafat.
Dahlan called on Libya to help the Palestinian Authority and ‘support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and to aid the Palestinians living in Libya.’
