RAMALLAH, West Bank ? Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Friday he had not decided if he will run in January elections.

“It is not only up to me. It will be up to many people,” Arafat said in an interview with The Associated Press and Bahrain television at his Ramallah compound. He has been periodically confined to the compound for months, guarded by Israeli tanks and soldiers.

In a contradictory statement, however, Arafat vowed not to step down.

“I have been elected by the people. I am not a coward. I’m not ready to betray the people who elected me,” Arafat said.

He said reforms of the Palestinian Authority demanded by the United States were already underway and that he would welcome international participation and support in furthering the process.