Arafat 'hints at election delays'

The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, is reported to have said that a general election set for January will have to be delayed unless Israeli forces withdraw from Palestinian-administered towns in the West Bank and Gaza.

In an interview with Reuters news agency, Mr Arafat said at least one month free of Israeli military occupation was necessary to allow for election campaigning, before the vote could go ahead.

Mr Arafat has been under intense pressure to adopt democratic reforms; the general election is the first he has called since 1996.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service