Re: No funding for Hamas/Fatah PA
[ Follow-Ups ]
[ Post Followup ]
[ Public Message Forum ]
Posted by Yahoo News on 21:12:02 2006/09/12
In Reply to:
No funding for Hamas/Fatah PA posted by CCD Press Release
Blair urges lifting of Palestinian sanctions
Tue Sep 12, 5:24 PM ET
Britain's Tony Blair urged the lifting of economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, so long as a deal on a cabinet of national unity there meets international conditions.
He made the comments a day after returning from a three-day trip to the Middle East, during which he faced protests over his stance notably during the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
"Yesterday's announcement of a government of national unity in Palestine is precisely what I hoped for," he said, referring to an agreement under which president Mahmud Abbas is to dissolve the current Hamas-led government.
"On the basis it is faithful to the conditions spelled out by the Quartet, that is the UN, EU, US and Russia, we should lift the economic sanctions on the Palestinian authority," added the British prime minister.
He appeared to be referring to international economic sanctions slapped on the Palestinian Authority by the United States and the European Union following the January election of the militant group Hamas, considered a terrorist movement by both Washington and Brussels.
At the time the Middle East Quartet that Blair referred to said the sanctions would remain in place until Hamas renounced violence, recognized Israel and pledged to abide by agreements signed by previous Palestinian leaderships.
The Quartet has long been battling to revive the peace process in the region.
Under a deal announced on Monday, Abbas is to dissolve the current government and charge prime minister Ismail Haniya of the Islamist movement Hamas with forming a new cabinet.
Palestinian officials hope that the formation of the new government will lead to the West ending a freeze on direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, which was adopted after Hamas formed a cabinet in March.
The Western aid freeze has plunged the Palestinian territories into a severe economic crisis, which has been compounded by Israel's two-month military offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched after militants killed two soldiers and seized a third in a cross-border raid.
Hamas has killed scores of Israelis over the years in suicide attacks. But it has not claimed any such attack inside the Jewish state since January 2005.
Blair made his comments during a speech to the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) gathering in Brighton, at which he faced protests including from delegates opposed to what they called the "illegal war" in Lebanon.
The British premier last week pledged to resign within a year, as the price of quelling a damaging crisis within his ruling Labour party over his leadership plans.
His speech to the TUC was therefore his last to the gathering as prime minister.
Follow Ups:
Post a Followup
[ Follow Ups ]
[ Post Followup ]
[ Public Message Forum ]