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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Left) with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo earlier this month. (Reuters) Last update - 06:51 31/01/2008 Abbas rejects talks with Hamas on control over Gaza-Egypt border By Barak Ravid and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and News Agencies Tags: Egypt, Hamas, Israel, Gaza Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ruled out talks with Hamas Wednesday and rejected any changes to previous arrangements governing the Gaza-Egypt border that would give a say to his Islamist rivals. The previous agreements regarding the cotrol over the Gaza borders were struck between the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Israel, the United States and the European Union, Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June after routing Abbas' secular Fatah forces, blasted open Gaza's border fence with Egypt last week in defiance of an Israeli-led blockade, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour into Egypt to stock up on goods in short-supply. Advertisement "There will be no talks with Hamas unless they comply with the conditions we have put forward to back off their coup, to recognize international legitimacy and to accept new early elections," Abbas said after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak over the crisis on the Gaza border. Egyptian officials have been pressing Abbas to compromise with the Islamist Hamas movement, which maintains total control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas officials were also in Cairo Wednesday to meet with senior Egyptian officials, including the influential head of Egypt's intelligence service, Omar Suleiman, to press their case for a role in any future border agreement. Abbas, however, who is locked in a deadly rivalry with the militant group, has refused any talks with Hamas unless it relinquishes their control of Gaza to his Palestinian Authority. "We will not accept any new pre-conditions; they have to go back to the old [border] agreement. We are more interested in the Palestinian people's interests than Hamas is. If Hamas is really for them as well, let them comply with this," he added. "We will not accept this mess - the old agreement should be implemented as it is," he said. In 2005, the various parties negotiated an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to oversee the Gaza border with under joint Palestinian, Israeli and EU supervision. Hamas immediately condemned Abbas' remarks, saying they were an attempt to prevent the current round of talks from reaching a solution to the border crisis. "The remarks made by Abbas today in Cairo show his plan to foil any agreement and any progress during the Cairo meetings between the Egyptians, on one hand, and Fatah and Hamas on the other," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum in Gaza. Earlier Wednesday, Hamas demanded a central role in controlling the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. Hamas signaled that it could prevent Egypt from re-sealing the border unless its own authority at the border crossing was recognized. "Talking about a partial role contradicts reality," said senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar. "The reality is that there is a legitimate government. We will not give up our legitimacy to anybody." In a show of defiance, leaders of the Hamas movement on Wednesday crossed into Egypt through the official Rafah terminal, adjacent to the still open breach in the barrier wall. "The Palestinians demand ... to open this gate freely for the people for normal relations and put an end to the grievous suffering," said Zahar, who led the Hamas delegation to Egypt. "We are here to express the degree of pressure inflicted on the Palestinians for many, many years." The breach has sparked a crisis in Egyptian-Palestinian relations as Egypt struggles to regain control of the border. On Wednesday, Egyptian security forces had sealed all but one of the large gaps blown in the border wall, witnesses said. Movement across the border slowed to a trickle of several hundred Palestinians, both because of Egypt's efforts to close the wall and because of strong, cold winds, witnesses said. Egypt has struggled to deal with the influx, alternately trying to stop the Palestinians and then allowing them in, before settling into a pattern of controlling the border crossings together with Hamas security men and restricting visitors to Rafah border town. Back in Israel, the Foreign Ministry raised several possible solutions to the breached border during a meeting on the subject Tuesday. Political sources said that only after Abbas returns from Egypt will it be possible to figure out how to get out of the crisis along the border. Olmert mulls fence along Egypt border Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is examining the possibility of building a fence along the Israel-Egypt border, Israeli sources said Tuesday. Several meetings on the matter have taken place over the last few months, and Olmert wants to expedite the process now that the Gaza-Egypt border has been breached, sparking concern that Palestinian terrorists could infiltrate Israel from Sinai. However, some officials at a meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and other security officials said Tuesday that such a plan was problematic because of a budget shortfall. The officials were visiting the Israel Defense Forces Gaza Division. At the meeting, Olmert was told that the IDF is reinforcing the border area to prevent terrorists from entering the country and that the Egyptians are beginning to patch up the Gaza-Egypt border. Olmert said during his visit with the Gaza Division that all the IDF activities in Gaza are pinpoint operations. In response to a question by a Golani soldier who asked why there was no widespread operation underway to recapture the Gaza Strip, Olmert said that "all the operations are carried out in a measured and pointed way, and not every entry has to be massive." "We have to operate according to what is right for us, and not according to emotion and feelings," he said. Related articles: Egyptians near Gaza grow tired of influx of Palestinians Hamas, Egypt cooperate in resealing Gaza border; U.S. peace envoy arrives Abbas wins int'l backing for PA control at Egypt-Gaza border Lieberman: Egypt is lying to Israel and working against our interests Bookmark to del.icio.us   Painful lessons The IDF has already learnt lessons of the Second Lebanon War. Brothers in guilt 'We are all guilty; is an effective summary of the final Winograd report.   1.   Much cheaper to kill the terrorists in their tracks... 02:26  |  common sense 30/01/08   2.   ANOTHER WALL 03:18  |  Ishmael Ishmael 30/01/08   3.   Cut and paste Gaza 04:02  |  Rightster 30/01/08   4.   In a bad neighborhood, fences are essential 04:07  |  Raymond from DC 30/01/08   5.   To Common Sense 04:20  |  Realist 30/01/08   6.   To Raymond from DC 04:23  |  Realist. 30/01/08   7.   fense 04:54  |  WOW 30/01/08   8.   a fence 04:59  |  IRA 30/01/08   9.   Olmert wants a wall around the PM residence, too 05:36  |  Polybios 30/01/08   10.   I wonder...... 05:42  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   11.   Sinai fence 06:37  |  John 30/01/08   12.   #10, I wonder too 06:43  |  Mike 30/01/08   13.   Zionist Enterprise destined to be defeated 07:10  |  Goyim 30/01/08   14.   Build a fence by all means 07:22  |  Truth 30/01/08   15.   Siani Border 08:35  |  juniper 30/01/08   16.   #12 Why put quotes around it, Mike? 09:34  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   17.   #1 common sense sees the zero-sum game 09:41  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   18.   How long? 11:36  |  Vital 30/01/08   19.   Fatah demands control of border, Hamas already have. 12:26  |  George N 30/01/08   20.   Fatah used Gaza crossing as a business! 12:32  |  El-Birawi 30/01/08   21.   I can play this game too, Sonny 12:45  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   22.   Two sides to the border 13:53  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 30/01/08   23.   Fatah is like a whore....She would give anything for money 14:10  |  ordinary Palestinian 30/01/08   24.   Toothless old Abbas tries to gum Hamas to death 14:44  |  Clickfool 30/01/08   25.   While Israel is thinking, let Abbas waste everybody`s time 15:02  |  Tosefta 30/01/08   26.   ABBAS IS A LACKEY OF ISRAEL AND THE US 15:34  |  JH 30/01/08   27.   Never talk to your enemy..... 15:37  |  Anton 30/01/08   28.   WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN TO DEFEAT ZIONISTS!! 16:38  |  Rubiconski 30/01/08   29.   Rubiconski (28) 17:17  |  Rory 30/01/08   30.   When the right time comes,abbas should be tried for his 17:19  |  lakshmi 30/01/08   31.   Antn - He learned it when he sold out 17:55  |  Mark Lincoln 30/01/08   32.   To Margie in Tel Aviv #22 19:07  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 30/01/08   33.   # 28 rubiconski...you sound like lakshmi, 19:22  |  Lynn 30/01/08   34.   ordinary palestinian #23 palestinians in general are whores 19:30  |  terrornator 30/01/08   35.   # 25 Tosefta...I am very interested in how 19:33  |  Lynn 30/01/08   36.   #30 lakshmi 20:17  |  B 30/01/08   37.   israel weaks abbas 20:35  |  Mike Buchanan 30/01/08   38.   36 B,abbas is a collaborator because from day 1 when Hamas was 21:42  |  lakshmi 30/01/08   39.   terrornator 22:06  |  ordinary Palestinian 30/01/08   40.   #35 Lynn 22:13  |  Tosefta 30/01/08   41.   this is hilarious,whining hamas can`t even get his own people to 22:21  |  terrornator 30/01/08   42.   ordinary pal # 39 your "jew" tirate and racist comments fell on 00:29  |  terrornator 31/01/08   43.   Good for you Abbas 07:04  |  Conroy 31/01/08   44.   #28 lets hope the ski captain is right 08:28  |  v hardman 31/01/08

Today Online PM: War report 'lifts moral stigma' off me Responses: 28 Jewish group to build 200 new homes in East Jerusalem Responses: 28 Winograd: Current use of cluster bombs not in line with int'l law Responses: 14 Yossi Verter: Now that the war report is out, all eyes are on Barak Send response Israel Harel: Publis also to blame for IDF and state mistakes Send response Rosner's Domain The campaign for Darfur has achieved all its goals - but one Rosner's Guest: Israelis do not know enough about Jewish Diaspora Jewish vote in Florida: 58% for Clinton (WTR) Poll: Is there a "constant virulent campaign" against Obama? Back to divestment from Israel (WTR) More Headlines 10:41 PM: Winograd report 'lifts moral stigma' off of me 10:01 IDF says was 'well aware' of flaws before Winograd Report 11:06 Palestinian militant killed by IDF fire in southern Gaza Strip 07:44 Winograd: Current use of cluster bombs not in line with int'l law 07:46 ANALYSIS: Was Lebanon War necessary? Report doesn't say 10:03 Jewish group to build 200 new housing units in East Jerusalem 10:45 Mixed verdict in war report leaves protesters in a quandary 08:00 Israel says Libya unworthy of seat on UN Security Council 11:04 Jerusalem reopens traffic but keep schools closed as snow falls 10:46 Beijing's only Kosher restuarant mulls second branch ahead of Olympics 10:44 Giuliani drops out of Republican race and backs McCain Previous Editions Select Day 30 jan 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 18 jan 17 jan

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