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Last update - 00:32 01/01/2009
Blair: Hamas should be part of peace process
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: israel news, hamas, france 

Hamas should be part of the Middle East peace process, said Tony Blair, former British prime minister and envoy to the region of the international quartet of powers, in comments published on Friday.

"I do think it is important that we find a way of bringing Hamas into this process, but it can only be done if Hamas are prepared to do it on the right terms," Blair said in an interview with the Times of London newspaper, published on its Web site.

Blair is the Middle East envoy for the quartet of Middle East peace negotiators - the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union.
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Blair told the newspaper that that the strategy of "pushing Gaza aside" and trying to create a Palestinian state on the West Bank "was never going to work and will never work."

"Yes, we do need to show through the change we are making on the West Bank that the Palestinian state could be a reality," said Blair.

"The trouble is that if you simply try to push Gaza to one side then eventually what happens is the situation becomes so serious that it erupts and you deliver into the hands of the mass the power to erupt at any point in time."

Blair repeated the Quartet position that there can be no talks, official or unofficial, with Hamas until they renounce violence and recognize Israel. However, he said that his "basic predisposition is that in a situation like this you talk to everybody."

In Gaza, Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said Blair's comments were proof that the West was acknowledging that Hamas could not be dismissed, although he added that the envoy's demands were unacceptable to the Islamist group.

"Blair's statement...repeated the same obstacles set by the West: to reject the recognition of Palestinian democracy, to impose the siege, to provide cover for the Zionist enemy's crimes against our people and to refuse to deal with the legitimate government and parliament," Masri said.

He added that Hamas was a strong and popular political entity and that Blair's repeat of "the same old ideas" would solve nothing.

With a shaky cease-fire in place after the war in Gaza, efforts are under way to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The West supports the Fatah administration in the West Bank and says it will not talk to Hamas unless it renounces violence and recognizes Israel's right to exist.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also recently expressed willingness to engage Hamas "when they accept the peace process, when they agree to start negotiations."

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      1.   Blair the slimeball 00:08  |  Steven Allsopp 01/01/09
      2.   No one can recognize Israel`s right to exist... 00:52  |  BBSNews 01/01/09
      3.   He sounds like Carter. Wants to sacrifice Israel like Czechoslova 00:52  |  Liliane 01/01/09
      4.   The first step must be taken by Hamas: 00:28  |  Jasper 01/01/09
      5.   If Obama Can Talk to Iran . . . 00:53  |  Binyamin 01/01/09
      6.   Blair encouraging terrorists 00:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/01/09
      7.   Hamas and Blair 00:15  |  Joel Handelman 01/01/09
      8.   Hamas Must Renounce Violence 00:20  |  Raymond Hall 01/01/09
      9.   Hamas was purchased lock, stock and barrel by Iran 00:38  |  Joshua 01/01/09
      10.   while hamas is agreeing with Blair 00:03  |  vik 01/01/09
      11.   Re: Liliane 00:34  |  Joseph 01/01/09
      12.   Manipulated Defination! 00:05  |  Bob Ipoh 01/01/09
      13.   Manipulated Defination! 00:21  |  Bob Ipoh 01/01/09
      14.   Agreement process 00:37  |  Matthew Houston 01/01/09
      15.   No Recognition 00:47  |  PalestinianNYC 01/01/09
      16.   London Should Give Falkland to Bin Laden , 00:48  |  Joseph.E 01/01/09
      17.   Right to bear arms 00:52  |  tony benson 01/01/09
      18.   Hamas is part of the process, like it or not 00:58  |  Natallie Durson 01/01/09
      19.   Then they wouldn`t be Hamas anymore 00:10  |  MarkC 01/01/09
      20.   Don?t talk to Hamas - destroy it 00:20  |  Jean Van Daem 01/01/09
      21.   Blair`s wisdom 00:21  |  ron 01/01/09
      22.   # 6 Cipora Julianna Kohn 00:00  |  Joseph.E 01/01/09
      23.   # 20 Jean Van Daem 00:01  |  Joseph.E 01/01/09
      24.   Blair becomes a terrorist appeaser. - A dangerous ant silly path 00:04  |  Vittorio 01/01/09
      25.   NAME CALLING 00:16  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/01/09
      26.   20 Jean VD - You Don`t Pretend Either 00:21  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/01/09
      27.   Gil to Blair: Al Quaeda Should be Part of Peace Process 00:07  |  Gil 01/01/09
      28.   #21 ron-spot on 00:08  |  les 01/01/09
      29.   #15 Palestinian NY 00:10  |  andy 01/01/09
      30.   Israel must renounce violence and recognise Palestine 00:18  |  Dave 01/01/09
      31.   Blair sets the same terms as Quartet 00:23  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 01/01/09
      32.   A simple answer to BBS 00:40  |  Israeli citizen 01/01/09
      33.   demands must right 00:54  |  Stevo 01/01/09
      34.   The EU should sever all ties with Israel 00:03  |  Chris Linthwaite 01/01/09
      35.   Joseph.E #16 Being silly 00:04  |  Roo 01/01/09
      36.   Which part of Hamas? 00:45  |  Elina 01/01/09
      37.   Steven...Blair the slimeball 00:59  |  Macclancy 01/01/09
      38.   Steven Allsopp 00:21  |  Taylor 01/01/09
      39.   Joel Handelman 00:23  |  Taylor 01/01/09
      40.   Talk with Hammas???? Depends 00:05  |  arik 01/01/09
      41.   to Natallie Durson, # 18 00:23  |  joel 01/01/09
      42.   To Erik 00:35  |  Liath 01/01/09
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