Holocaust Museum invites Arafat after all

The Holocaust Museum in Washington has reversed a decision to rebuff the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and has now invited him to pay an official visit when he comes to Washington this week.

The chairman of the museum's governing body Miles Lerman said he was now convinced that an official visit would serve a good purpose for peace.

It's not known if Mr Arafat will accept the invitation.

The United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said after the initial rejection that it would have been appropriate for the museum to treat Mr Arafat as a VIP, and Holocaust museums in Israel stepped in with offers of their own.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service