Following are excerpts from an interview with PLO Ambassador to Lebanon Abbas Zaki, which aired on OTV on November 7, 2008.

Abbas Zaki: We consider the U.S. to be an enemy because its only strategic alliance is with Israel.

Interviewer: How could you possibly accept your enemy in your land?

Abbas Zaki: What do you mean? We meet even with Israel.

Interviewer: How can you consider Israel to be your enemy, if you signed a peace treaty with it?

Abbas Zaki: Allow me... This enemy... If I had the capabilities of the U.S. – would I be fighting it or negotiating with it?

Interviewer: Israel ceased being an enemy once you signed a peace treaty with it. I don’t know how it could be your enemy. Do you talk to the Israelis as if they were your enemies? Do you talk to Israel as a friendly or enemy country?

Abbas Zaki: An enemy country, which owes us certain things. The heroic Vietnamese used to negotiate with the French, while they were slaughtering them.

Interviewer: I can assure you that in his speeches, Abu Mazen says the U.S. is a friendly country.

Abbas Zaki: Well, this isn’t true. Perhaps Abu Mazen, in his position, needs to use diplomatic language, but he is the greatest critic of the U.S.