Hamas rejects US pressure to change policies

Gaza, Nov 18: The Hamas-led Palestinian government said today that the United States, rather than Hamas, must change its policies if it hopes for peace.

Washington is preparing for a possible peace push that could include an international peace conference in Jordan at the end of the month.

But a US official and diplomats said any such meeting hinged on a planned Palestinian unity government meeting the conditions of the Quartet of West Asia mediators: to recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by past agreements.

Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction and has said that any unity government it joins will not recognise Israel's right to exist.

But Deputy Palestinian Prime Minister Naser al-Shaer said rival Palestinian factions had reached a ''consensus'' that the unity government's programme would be separate from Hamas's.

The comments raised the possibility that the unity government could try to meet at least some of the Quartet's conditions while Hamas remains committed to Israel's destruction.

''American policy is the biggest obstacle to bringing peace and security to the region,'' Hamas's Ghazi Hamad, the Palestinian cabinet spokesman, said when asked about US efforts.

''The Americans should not demand from the Palestinian side to commit or to abide by the Quartet conditions. The Americans should change their own policy and ask Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinian people,'' he added.

Ismail Rudwan, a spokesman for Hamas, said the militant group would never recognise Israel's right to exist. Likewise, Rudwan said he expected the platform of any unity government ''not to recognise the legitimacy of the Zionist occupation.'' Hamad said progress was being made in weekend talks between Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah over forming the unity government.

''There is great hope that we will be able to form the government before the end of this month in a satisfactory manner to all parties,'' Hamad said.

Shaer said Abbas and Haniyeh reached agreement on who will replace Haniyeh as prime minister in the unity government but declined to name him.

Senior Palestinian officials said Abbas has agreed to Hamas's choice for prime minister, US-trained academic Mohammad Shbair.

''There's an agreement that the government would go about its business and the factions would go about theirs. There's no need for combining the governmental and factional work,'' Shaer said.

Ministers from the United States, Russia, Egypt, the Gulf states and others will be at the Dead Sea in Jordan on November 30 for an annual Middle East democracy and development meeting and the United States hopes an international peace conference could be held just before that event.

On Thursday, Spain, Italy and France agreed to work on a joint plan to resolve West Asia conflict, calling for a total cease-fire and suggesting they could send truce monitors to the area.

REUTERS