Sharon Calls For Major Reforms by Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon brought his case to Washington yesterday for banishing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from peace talks, signaling an unwillingness to embark on a new political process until the Palestinian Authority undergoes major internal reform.

With Sharon scheduled to visit President Bush today, an Israeli delegation headed by the prime minister stepped up efforts in meetings with senior U.S. officials to ensure that the administration's new Middle East initiative does not move faster than Israel would like or diverge from its interests.