HAMAS APPROVES TALKS WITH ISRAEL

QUARTET TO MEET NEXT WEEK TO DISCUSS LATEST PALESTINIAN SITUATION ANNANNew York, Sep 13 2006 7:00PM

Following an agreement between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas on forming a unity Government, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, which includes the United Nations, will meet next week to discuss these developments and possible ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the occupied territory.

[On Monday] I got a call from President Abbas to tell me that they have reached an agreement with Hamas… He also went on to say that the programme they have adopted requires all members of the Government to accept the programme of the Palestine Liberation Organization and all the agreements they had entered into earlier.He felt this decision should satisfy the requirements and the conditions demanded by the international community. If that is indeed the case, he should really allow the international community and the donor community to move ahead very quickly and provide the assistance that the Palestinian people need.

International donors have baulked at funding the Hamas-led Palestinian Government because it has yet to renounce violence and the continuing conflict with Israel has led to what Mr. Annan described as a very desperate and serious situation in the occupied territory.We have a temporary mechanism, which allows some money to go in, but to pay for humanitarian services, but not for salaries. It’s become a very complex situation that the Quartet will be looking at when we meet next week to review the impact of our own policies and what has happened on the ground.

The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East – comprising the UN, United States, European Union (EU) and the Russian Federation are sponsoring the <"Road'>http://www.un.org/News/dh/mideast/roadmap122002.pdf">Road Map plan for a two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace. However, Mr. Annan today<"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=940">lamented its lack of progress.I think the Road Map could have been implemented much faster, or we had hoped it would have been implemented much faster. Alas, it has not been. We are going to meet here next week, and we are meeting at a very critical time for the people in Palestine.Over the past few months there have been several high-level UN meetings on the worsening plight of the Palestinians in the occupied territory and last week a UN conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People adopted a plan of action aimed at addressing their plight, and ahead of next year’s 40th anniversary of the occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem., 2006-09-13 00:00:00.000

Gaza Strip: Hamas approves talks with Israel By DIAA HADID Associated Press ,9/13/2006

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas officials gave Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the go-ahead Tuesday for negotiations with Israel, a major shift in the militant Islamic group's position as it works to end its international isolation. An Israeli military court, meanwhile, ordered the release of 19 Hamas officials including Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from an Israeli prison. The men, arrested by Israel after the June 25 capture of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit by Hamas-linked militants, will remain behind bars for several more days pending an appeal by prosecutors. Israel said the court decision was not meant to reward Hamas for its moves toward moderation.

I don't think that right now we would be making gestures of good will for the Hamas. We would be making gestures of good will to Abu Mazen,Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said, referring to the moderate Abbas by his nickname. Eisin said the courts were independent of the government. Hamas, whose ideology calls for Israel's destruction, reached agreement Monday with Abbas' Fatah Party to form a unity government in an effort to end the financial crisis crippling the Palestinian economy. International donors cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority when Hamas formed its Cabinet six months ago. Hamas is listed as a terror group by Israel and the West.

Abbas has long pushed for a resumption of peace talks with Israel, and Hamas said Tuesday he would have full authority to hold those negotiations. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, said the government itself would not be involved in the talks because negotiations are supposed to be handled by the PLO, led by Abbas. The distinction could allow Hamas to retain its hard-line credentials with the Palestinian street, while the government gains international acceptance. Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for the Hamas-led government, told Israel's Army Radio in Hebrew that the Palestinians would be ready to establish a state in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War -- the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. While Hamad said Hamas would not recognize Israel's right to exist, the joint government is to be based on a platform many believe implies recognition of the Jewish state. Israel, the U.S. and European Union have said Hamas must renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and accept past peace agreements.