New threat to US peace mission

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon threatened yesterday to derail a mission by the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, to contain the seething crisis in the Middle East by warning that his troops might storm the ruined headquarters of Yasser Arafat to capture the killers of a far-right cabinet minister.
Mr Sharon's latest threats appeared intended to distract Mr Powell - as he set off for Ramallah for a meeting with Mr Arafat - from the central aims of his visit: a withdrawal of the Israeli forces now occupying most West Bank towns, and a declaration of a ceasefire from the Palestinian leader.

Mr Sharon told his cabinet he was prepared to send in the army to seize those who killed the far-right cabinet minister, Rechavam Zeevi, last October. Israel claims the assassins are hunkered down in Mr Arafat's headquarters.

Mr Powell made little headway with the Palestinians at a surreal meeting with Mr Arafat inside his bullet-scarred compound. He arrived in a cavalcade of bulletproof vehicles, squeezing through a gap in the Israeli tanks and snipers surrounding the headquarters.