LONDON, April 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The British government urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday to stand by its pledge not to harm Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

    "We fully expect Israel, and Prime Minister Sharon, to stand by its pledge not to harm Yasser Arafat and would strongly oppose any action taken against him," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

    In an interview with Israel TV's Channel 2 on Friday, Sharon said that he is no longer bound by a promise to Washington not to harm Arafat.

    However, a few hours after Sharon's remarks, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher denied any attempts to target Arafat, saying "nothing has changed the US position."

    Earlier reports quoted some Palestinian officials as saying that Arafat was seriously taking Sharon's statements as a threat to his life and Israel "can never be trusted after it launched a campaign of assassinating top Palestinian leaders." Enditem