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Last update - 00:00 22/05/2008
Hamas: No truce unless Israel lifts siege of Gaza Strip
By The Associated Press
Tags: Bernard Kouchner, Hamas 

A bid by Egypt to broker a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel has faltered after the radical Palestinian group failed to secure a pledge to lift an Israeli-imposed siege on Gaza, Palestinian officials said
Thursday.

Last month, Hamas and other Palestinian factions gave their tentative approval to a cease-fire with Israel in an Egyptian attempt to mediate the deal. But Israeli leaders expressed concerns and outlined conditions for any possible truce deal with Hamas.
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Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Omar
Suleiman this week about the idea of a cooling off period with Israel, but left Cairo abruptly Wednesday without announcing the much-anticipated truce.

"We haven't decided yet the hour when cease-fire begins," said Moussa Abu
Marzouk, deputy leader of Hamas who led the group's delegation to the talks.

"We have interests and they have interests too. Each party will respond in a way that will serve his interests," Abu Marzouk told The Associated Press in Damascus after he returned from Cairo.

Abu Marzouk did not elaborate but Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the government in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, said the movement would not declare a cease-fire unless Israel lifts the blockade and reopens crossings with the outside world. The crossings were closed with tacit approval from Egypt after Hamas won 2006 election.

"We will not give a calm if we continue to be humiliated, and certainly not before Israel halts its aggression," Haniyeh said Thursday at a news conference in Gaza. He said the group's leadership would decide its next step after internal consultations.

Another Hamas leader participating in the talks, Khalil al-Haya, said
additional rounds of negotiations would still go on and that various
Palestinian militant groups planned to meet to review the outcome of the
talks.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he is not encouraged by the lack of progress in the Egyptian-mediated talks.

"The latest information doesn't give much hope. During the past months I have asked our brethren in Egypt to intervene to achive this truce," Abbas told a news conference with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Ramallah.

"Today I cannot say that we have satisfactory news. Until now there are still obstacles," he said.

Meanwhile Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity
because no formal announcement had been made, confirmed that Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, would travel to Egypt on Sunday for more talks - a sign the truce is still on the table.

Egyptian officials declined to comment Thursday on the talks.

Livni to Kouchner: World must continue to delegitimize Hamas

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Thursday told Kouchner that world governments must shun Hamas, adding that the foiled suicide bombing at a Gaza crossing earlier in the day showed that the Islamist movement was not interested in improving the plight of Palestinians.

Kouchner said in a radio interview Monday that France had been in touch with Hamas over several months, but the contacts did not amount to relations or negotiations. He did not detail the substance of those contacts with Hamas, which rejects Israel's existence.

Israel, the United States and the international community have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization, and Washington delivered a swift rebuke after Kouchner's revelation, with the State Department saying the contacts were not wise or appropriate.

The Foreign Ministry said Monday it would be seeking clarification from
Kouchner during his visit, but a ministry official could not say if the issue had been satisfactorily resolved at Thursday's meeting.

Livni referred to a suicide bombing early Thursday at the Erez crossing, killing the Palestinian driver of a truck full of explosives. Smaller groups claimed responsibility, but she blamed Hamas.

"The attempted attack this morning at the Erez crossing point should demonstrate to the international community that, while it demands that Israel take care of the situation in Gaza and open the crossing points, Hamas, which controls Gaza, is not interested in improving the lives of the population and doesn't take even minimal responsibility," a Foreign Ministry statement quoted Livni as saying.

"The international community must continue to delegitimize Hamas."

Kouchner's response was not reported.

The Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, United Nations,
Russia and the European Union - has demanded Hamas renounce violence,
recognize Israel and accept previous peace accords as a condition for any talks. The militant group has refused.

An Israeli government official said the issue of French contacts with Hamas was mentioned at Kouchner's meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but he declined to give details.

In brief comments to journalists as he entered the meeting with Livni, in a Tel Aviv hotel, Kouchner did not refer to Hamas.

"We have to talk about the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis," he said in English. "We have to say some words and have to listen to her about the beginning of talks with Syria, and we have to talk about Iran."

The Defense Ministry issued a brief statement on Kouchner's meeting
Thursday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, saying only that they discussed regional, diplomatic and security issues.

Kouchner: Not enough progress made on peace talks

Kouchner said late Wednesday after talks with Abbas's chief negotiator Ahmed Qureia, in the West Bank city of Ramallah that not enough progress had been made since Israel and the Palestinians launched peace talks in November.

But Kouchner, who earlier had met Israeli political leaders, was hopeful a political agreement in Lebanon this week that ended that country's worst crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war, and hopes a Gaza truce could provide momentum for the talks.

"There is this good atmosphere ... in Lebanon, as well as with Syria and also in Gaza," Kouchner said, adding that he believed he had seen goodwill among Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

Noting that he expected to return to the region in a few weeks, he said: "I hope ... I'll hear good news."

Kouchner described contacts France had made with Hamas, which he confirmed earlier this week, as "very superficial."

"There was one contact and it's over now. It was not a political
negotiation," he said.

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      1.   Livni is right! 21:46  |  Roger 22/05/08
      2.   Wait for the howls... 22:25  |  Jordan 22/05/08
      3.   Hamas is not the world`s problem 22:26  |  Wendy 22/05/08
      4.   arrogance 22:48  |  GS 22/05/08
      5.   Wow! 23:24  |  Victor 22/05/08
      6.   "international community have listed Hamas as a terrorist org." 23:29  |  Victor 22/05/08
      7.   Of course not 23:31  |  Clickfool 22/05/08
      8.   #4 GS - Why are there so many a-holes in Houston? 23:37  |  * BEN JABO 22/05/08
      9.   Good ol` Hamas 23:37  |  ChanahS 22/05/08
      10.   Hamas: No truce unless Israel lifts siege of Gaza 23:37  |  Esther 22/05/08
      11.   typical Israeli arrogance 23:44  |  wibism 22/05/08
      12.   Who put the Gaza Palestinians in siege, Hamas or Israel? 00:02  |  Smadar 23/05/08
      13.   but i thought it was you pals who wanted the truce 00:04  |  darcy 23/05/08
      14.   #7 00:09  |  Jane 23/05/08
      15.   Hey Cluckfool, read this! 00:11  |  Joe Sittizen 23/05/08
      16.   wibism # 11 - Funny Stuff 00:17  |  WYSIWYG 23/05/08
      17.   But `fool, they started it, no? 00:17  |  Fish 23/05/08
      18.   If they want the siege lifted, they have to pay for it, obviously 00:29  |  Dr. L. Brnd 23/05/08
      19.   Hamas Wants the Benefits of Peace, Not Just a Truce 00:39  |  Brad 23/05/08
      20.   Hamas truce 00:47  |  Reid 23/05/08
      21.   As I said, howls... 00:53  |  Jordan 23/05/08
      22.   #11 Wibi-ism, Funny Indeed 01:10  |  JP 23/05/08
      23.   "Egg On Their Face" 01:12  |  Douglas Fireman 23/05/08
      24.   Hamas needs the ceasefire more than S`derot 01:24  |  Scharker Yid 23/05/08
      25.   # 6 02:02  |  Just Facts 23/05/08
      26.   Clickfool 02:08  |  Ramius 23/05/08
      27.   Hamas the schnorer 02:14  |  * BEN JABO 23/05/08
      28.   we won`t have a truce unless 02:42  |  natan 23/05/08
      29.   Get used to it - Hamas will change terms daily 02:27  |  *BEN JABO 24/05/08
      30.   Shalit Gilad 12:39  |  Uche James 23/01/09
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