Palestinian Urges End to Militias
Yasser Arafat's new security chief said Friday he will not let the Palestinian image be soiled by terrorism, but he was vague on how to dismantle the militias attacking Israelis.

Yehiyeh said he would strive to neutralize the armed groups carrying out terror attacks.

``We should put an end to all the militias. We should end it completely,'' Yehiyeh told The Associated Press in an interview. ``I will not agree in any way to pollute the name of the Palestinian people with terrorism.''

He said he first would try to negotiate with the armed men, but he would not say what he would do if those appeals went unheeded.

The attacks have been carried out by military wings of various Palestinian factions, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade linked to Arafat's Fatah movement.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Palestinians.html