S Africa says will urge Hamas to accept Israel

CAPE TOWN, Mar 30 (Reuters) South African President Thabo Mbeki today defended his country's policy of engagement with Hamas, saying it would try to persuade the militant Palestinian group to accept Israel's right to exist.

Addressing parliament on the day Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -- from the rival Fatah movement -- arrived in South Africa, Mbeki said engagement was the only way to find a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

''What we have to do, in as practical way as possible, is to engage the Palestinian Authority, which is led by Hamas, and to engage the Israeli government that is currently being formed,'' Mbeki said.

South African government officials said deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad will visit the West Asia next week and will meet Hamas officials. Pahad first announced the planned meeting earlier this month.

''It may very well be that there are people that may be unhappy about our engagement of Hamas also, but I think that our experience says, it is not possible to find a negotiated solution unless you engage everybody,'' Mbeki said.

''You are not going to get to a negotiated solution if you boycott some (parties),'' Mbeki said.

South Africa, which under apartheid was a close ally of Israel, has sought to be a bridge between Israelis and Palestinians since white rule gave way to multi-racial democracy in 1994.

Hamas inflicted a shock defeat on Fatah in January Palestinian elections and began its first day in government today vowing to keep fighting Israel. It is formally committed to destruction of the Jewish state.

''The cause of the Palestinians will be immensely enhanced if they acknowledge the legitimate right of the Israelis to their own sovereign state,'' Mbeki told parliament. ''Naturally, we would be against any attempt to destroy the state of Israel.'' Abbas, who has been weakened by Hamas's election victory, is to meet Mbeki tomorrow before addressing South Africa's parliament.

The United States ordered its diplomats and contractors yesterday to cut off contacts with Palestinians ministries after a Hamas-led government was sworn in.

European Commission officials have said they would only have contacts with Abbas, but Russia has held high-level talks with Hamas.

Israel has said it will not negotiate with Hamas, which has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings against Israelis since 2000, but has largely abided by a year-old truce.

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