Abbas Meets Welch in Amman ahead of Quartet Meeting
Cracks in Siege Imposed by US, Israel on Hamas Government
03/04/2006

Palestine Media Center - PMC [Official arm of the PA]
www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp?cat=1&id=1114


Two days after Washington officially suspended contacts with and aid to the
new Hamas-led government, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in
Jordan from a three-day visit to South Africa and met US Middle East envoy
David Welch in Amman on Sunday, where the Quartet was meeting to discuss
future aid to Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Welch, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and fellow US
envoy Elliot Abrams held talks with Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni,
and "Defense" Minister, Shaul Mofaz, on Thursday, one day after the new
Hamas-led government was sworn in by Abbas.

Abbas-Welch talks were focused on recent developments in the Palestinian
occupied territories, how to push forward the stalled peace process and the
relationship between the United States and the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA), Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said on Sunday.

Washington said on Friday that it had suspended all contact with the Hamas
government but that it would maintain contact with the PNA's representative
in Washington, Afif Safieh, because he does not report to the foreign
ministry.

"We've advised our mission in Jerusalem, as well as other missions around
the world that...there should be no contact between US government officials
and PA officials who are under the authority of the prime minister or any
other minister in the Hamas-led government," Deputy State Department
spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters on Friday.

"This includes working-level officials in those ministries. If they're
working in a Hamas-led ministry, no matter what their affiliation is, we're
not going to have contact with them," Ereli said.

Haniyeh Criticizes US

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh criticized the US on Sunday for
restricting diplomatic ties with his government, saying the Palestinian
people were being punished for their democratic choice.

"This government was elected in a free and honest election, and according to
the democratic principles the American administration is calling for,"
Haniyeh told a group of supporters who had come to his office to wish his
new government well.

"We believe this is a punishment of the Palestinian people because of its
democratic choice, and at the same time, it increases the people's
suffering," he said.

Similarly Canada joined Israel and US in suspending contacts and aid to the
Palestinian government.

Cracks in Siege

However there were signs of cracks in the siege imposed by the United States
and Israel on Hamas government.

Russia had already received a Hamas delegation in Moscow late in March.

France has been holding low-key talks with Hamas over the past few weeks,
Israel's Army Radio reported Monday, citing a special document recently
received by government sources.

The radio said that Israel is concerned that other states, including China,
India and Japan, will soon publicly recognize the Hamas-led government.

According to the radio, the European Union, Russia and India have already
launched contacts with Hamas representatives.

The purported document also reportedly claims that France has been leading
the negotiations with Hamas on behalf of the European Union (EU).

India has already held an official meeting with senior Hamas officials and
Russia's contacts, which apparently began before Hamas' victory in January's
parliamentary elections, became official as soon as the results came out.

New Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahmoud al-Zahar urged the
international community on Saturday to respect the Palestinian people's
choice in electing the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the January 25
legislative elections.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua Saturday, he urged the United States
to abandon its long-time biased policy that favors Israel and not act in a
hurry to pressure the new Hamas government politically and economically.

Al-Zahar added, "There are so many countries which are standing on the side
of the Hamas cabinet and supporting its stance. We will build close
diplomatic relations with these countries."

Quartet Meets in Amman

Welch was in Amman to attend a meeting of the Quartet of Middle East
diplomats, comprising representatives of the United Nations, the United
States, the EU and Russia. The EU was reportedly represented by its Middle
East envoy Marc Otte. Moscow was represented by the ambassador at the
Russian Foreign Ministry Sergi Yakovlev, a spokesman for the Russian embassy
said.

The Quartet meeting, held at an envoy-level, was expected to issue a press
release later Monday about the outcome of its deliberations.

The meeting was attended by ambassadors of the U.S., Russia and Egypt,
Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Khatib said, according to Petra,
adding the meeting reviewed the deteriorating economic situation in the
Palestinian areas and the need for international support to improve living
standards of the Palestinian people.

The meeting was expected to focus on means of ensuring humanitarian aid to
the Palestinians under the Israeli occupation since 1967 without giving
money directly to the Hamas government led by Prime Minister Haniyeh.

The Quartet, in a joint statement on Thursday, warned the new Palestinian
government that its positions will affect direct aid.

"Having carefully assessed the program of the new government approved on
March 28," the Quartet "noted with grave concern that the new government has
not committed to the principles" spelled out by Hamas in a pronouncement
made soon after the January elections, the statement said.

Those principles include the recognition of Israel, renouncing violence, and
acceptance of previous agreements between Israel and the PNA, including a
call to have two states living side-by-side in peace, taken in concurrent
steps by both parties.

"The Quartet recalled its view that future assistance to any new government
would be reviewed by donors against that government's commitment to the
principles outline," the statement said, adding: "The Quartet concurred that
there inevitably will be an effect on direct assistance to that government
and its ministries."

However, "The Quartet encouraged continued humanitarian assistance to meet
the basic needs of the Palestinian people," the statement added.