French President Jacques Chirac on Monday blamed the visit by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the wave of violence sweeping the Palestinian territories.
"We are shocked and very worried by this outburst of violence. At its origin, last Thursday, was an irresponsible provocation on the holy site of the mosque compound. From there it was a predictable conflagration," he said after meeting US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright - PARIS (AFP)
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