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Wednesday, Jun 08, 2005

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International

Hamas establishes contact with British, European officials

Atul Aneja

Rising Arab hostility may force U.S. to reach out to hardline groups

MANAMA: After facing years of diplomatic isolation, the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has established contacts with British and European officials, which could lead to talks with the United States in the future.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw acknowledged the shift among key members of the Atlantic alliance towards Hamas on the eve of his visit to Israel. Speaking to BBC Radio, Mr. Straw said that British diplomats in the region had twice met officials associated with Hamas' non-military wing who had been elected to office in recent Palestinian Authority polls. "But on each of those occasions our staff have spelled out to the elected official... our position overall in respect of no dealings with Hamas as an organisation as long as it continues to support violence," Mr. Straw said.

U.S. move

Reports in the Israeli media also suggest the Americans were also showing signs of engaging "political affiliates" of the Hamas.

Several factors, including the American debacle in Iraq, appears to have forced the Anglo-American alliance to reach out to hardline Arab political groups, which can shape popular opinion in the Arab world. Analysts point out that the surging anti-Americanism following the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq and the defilement of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay detention facility has imparted a sense of urgency in London and Washington to explore diplomacy to soften extremist groups.

Dialogue with militants

Confirming that preliminary contacts had already been established, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Mahmud al-Zahar, told Al Jazeera television: "We have met with a number of diplomats here in Gaza, and they told us they were interested in talking to us."

He said the U.S. administration was considering a dialogue with five Islamic movements in West Asia, including Hamas, Hizbollah in Lebanon, the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Jihad and the Jama Islamiya (Islamic group) in Pakistan.

Mr. Al-Zahar said Hamas had never initiated hostility towards the U.S. despite Washington's "brazen hostility to our people and excessive support of the Israeli occupation."

Observers see a string of high-profile visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories following the recent visit to Washington by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as a signal that a new political initiative may be at hand. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected in the area ahead of a meeting between Mr. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on June 21.

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