Syria tells Arafat to stay away

Yasser Arafat called off what would have been his first visit to Syria in eight years today, after getting a last-minute request from Damascus to stay away.

Arafat was already at the airport in the Jordanian capital Amman, preparing to fly to Damascus to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad, when he received word that the trip was off, said Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath.