Sunday, 15 December, 2002, 03:28 GMT

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has accused Osama Bin Laden of exploiting the Palestinian struggle for an independent state.

In an interview with London's Sunday Times newspaper, Mr Arafat said the leader of the al-Qaeda network was hiding behind the Palestinian cause for his own purposes.

He said he was angry that al-Qaeda had tried to justify atrocities - such as last month's bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya - by claiming that they were part of a campaign to get Palestinian territories back from Israel.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that al-Qaeda militants were operating in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

But Palestinian officials rejected the allegations and later accused the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, of setting up a fake al-Qaeda terrorist cell in Gaza.

Mr Arafat told the newspaper his movement was against any attack on civilians, including Israelis.

He acknowledged that there was sympathy for Bin Laden among young people in the Palestinian territories, but said this came from despair.

"These kids don't really know who Bin Laden is," Mr Arafat said.

Mr Arafat accused the al-Qaeda leader of being an opportunist.

"Why is Bin Laden talking about Palestine now? Bin Laden never, not ever, stressed this issue. He never helped us. He was working in a completely different area and against our interests."

The Palestinian leader said he was the first leader in the Arab world to stand up to Bin Laden.

"I am telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," he said.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2002