http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-us-talks-to-us-claims-leader-of-hamas-movement-20100531-wrh8.html
The US talks to us, claims leader of Hamas movement
DAVID HEARST
June 1, 2010
DAMASCUS: The United States is sending a succession of envoys to engage with Hamas but lacks the bravery to talk to the Islamist movement openly, its leader, Khaled Meshal, says.
Mr Meshal praised the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, for meeting him in Damascus and the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, for hosting the discussion 10 days ago.
He told Mr Medvedev that the US was also talking to him.
''I . told him the Americans contact us, but are not brave enough to do so openly. I am confident that in the very near future, everyone will realise that they will have to deal with Hamas.''
The claim that the US is engaging with a group it lists as a terrorist organisation will upset the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces have locked up and allegedly tortured Hamas members.
But four years into Israel's blockade of Gaza, the revelation could be seen as a sign that cracks are opening in the western consensus that Hamas should remain isolated.
Russia is a member of the Middle East Quartet, which demands recognition of Israel as a precondition to a seat at the negotiating table.
Hamas says that recognising Israel was one of Fatah's biggest mistakes and resulted in 17 years of fruitless negotiation.
Mr Meshal said the tectonic plates in the Middle East were shifting. Iran, Turkey and Syria were emerging as regional powers and Egypt was in the throes of a battle for succession that would paralyse it as a regional player. As a result, Israel was losing its power to impose conditions on a weakened Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
As it felt its power ebbing, Israel needed a war but was crippled by self-doubt. Mr Meshal claimed the attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 and against Hamas in Gaza in 2009 had strengthened both organisations.
''Israel is conducting exercises threatening Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria. It needs a war, but choosing the front to fight on will not be a picnic and this reflects the crisis in Israel. It does not want peace, but the option of war is not easy for it,'' he said.
''A war in Gaza might appear the easy option. But that would be an illusion, not because we have adequate weapons, but because Israel this time would be fighting against a people with nothing to lose. Gaza is small in size but it has become a large symbol for the rest of the world.''
The US President, Barack Obama, had made a brave speech in Cairo but within months had retreated and his officials had vetoed efforts to seek agreement between Fatah and Hamas on a unity government.
Citing Fatah sources, he claimed George Mitchell, the US negotiator, had told the Palestinian Authority and Egypt that the US would cut off aid to the authority if it formed a unity government with Hamas and other militant Palestinian factions.
''Mahmoud Abbas is better for America's purpose without [Palestinian] reconciliation, because he is weak and a deal with Hamas would strengthen the Palestinian position in the negotiation.
''America prefers a weak Palestinian negotiating party, because it believes this is the best chance for a deal with an intransigent [Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin] Netanyahu.''
Hamas claims that nine or 10 of the 22 members of the Arab League back its formula for a unity government, not least Saudi Arabia, a country still thought to be furious with Hamas about its takeover of Gaza in 2007, which tore up an agreement with Fatah.
Mr Meshal said that before the last Arab League summit in Libya, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud al-Faisal, had taken a Hamas document to Egypt that called for the creation of a Palestinian leadership representative of all factions, a high security council to reform Gaza security forces and a committee to organise elections. Palestinians outside the occupied territories could also vote.
The Egyptians came back with three additions: that the new government recognise a two-state solution, the borders of 1967 and the Arab Peace Initiative. Mr Meshal said these demands were tantamount to a recognition of Israel.
''What Mahmoud Abbas is seeking is to restore his authority over Gaza and to draw Hamas into an electoral process in conditions in which it would lose. Egypt's position is a real obstacle, too.''
Guardian News & Media
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Milis Wanita Muslimah
Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wanita_muslimah
Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com
ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages
Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com
Berhenti mailto:wanita-muslimah-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejahtera@yahoogroups.com
Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelismuda@yahoogroups.com
Milis ini tidak menerima attachment.
0 comments:
Post a Comment