Arafat Hints Again: Oslo is Only Temporary In a May 10th Al-Quds newspaper interview, Yasser Arafat once again explained to the Arab readership that his agreement to the Oslo accords is to be compared to the pact which Muhammad made with the Arabian tribe of Koreish. Muhammad, who signed the ten-year peace treaty, overcame the Koreish tribe once he had amassed enough strength. This quote and others are documented in a Government Press Office release today which is attached at the end of this news report. Question: Do you feel sometimes that you made a mistake in agreeing to Oslo? Arafat: No... no. Allah's messenger Mohammad accepted the al-Khudaibiya peace treaty and Salah a-Din accepted the peace agreement with Richard the Lion-Hearted." [Note: Arafat is referring to the Khudaibiya agreement made by Muhammad with the Arabian tribe of Koreish. The pact, slated to last for ten years, was broken within two years, when the Islamic forces - having used the peace pact to become stronger - conquered the Koreish tribe. His reference to Salah a-Din is to the Muslim leader who, after a cease-fire, declared a jihad against the Crusaders and captured Jerusalem. This marks the second time in a month that Arafat has compared the Oslo Accords with the temporary truces signed by Muhammad and Salah a-Din. Previously, he made the comparison in an interview with Egyptian Orbit TV on April 18, 1998.] --- PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in a newspaper interview (cited in Al-Quds, May 10, 1998)