Quartet restates conditions for Palestinian aid

Washinton, Feb 10: The quartet of West Asia mediators repeated its demand that any Palestinian government renounce violence, recognize Israel and respect peace deals in order to receive Western aid.

In a joint statement, the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States withheld judgment on whether a new national unity government to be formed by rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah met its conditions.

The rival Palestinian factions signed an agreement to form a unity government on Thursday, hoping to end bloodshed between their followers and to win back Western aid halted because of the hostility of Hamas to Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh reached the deal at crisis talks in Mecca after internecine fighting that has killed more than 90 Palestinians since December.

''The Quartet welcomed the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in reaching the agreement to form a Palestinian National Unity government. The Quartet expressed hope that the desired calm would prevail,'' the group said in the statement released by the US State Department after a quartet conference call.

''While awaiting formation of the new Palestinian government, the Quartet reaffirmed its statement of February 2 regarding its support for a Palestinian government committed to nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations,'' it added.

At first glance, the pact did not appear to fully meet the three conditions laid down by the quartet as a condition of restoring direct aid.

'Read between the lines'

The agreement made no mention of recognition of Israel. But Abbas, in a letter reappointing Haniyeh as prime minister, said the new government should abide by ''international law'' and agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who participated in yesterday's quartet conference call, is likely to have further consultations before she leaves for the West Asia toward the end of next week, the State Department said.

During her trip, Rice plans to hold a three-way meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas, whom Washington is supporting in his power struggle with Hamas.

Fresh from Mecca, Saeb Erekat, an Abbas adviser and chief Palestinian negotiator, briefed Rice and then came to New York to talk to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

According to Palestinian UN observer, Riad Mansour, Erekat took note of Rice's cautious reaction and said the agreement should be judged on actions and results.

''You want to study thoroughly the Mecca agreement and read between the lines, especially with regard to honoring and respecting old agreements,'' Mansour quoted Erekat as saying.

''One should consider that shifting political positions does not happen overnight and one should be patient and give time to allow these transformations to take place,'' Mansour said.

A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, ''The real question for this unity government ... is what policies is it going to adopt? How is it going to act? How does that agreement in principle on that piece of paper that they produced in Mecca get translated into an actual government with actual policies and does that actual government and actual policy meet the quartet standards?''

Reuters