Middle East Quartet urges Hamas to end violence

By Mark John
March 16, 2006
Reuters
Original Source: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-16T192549Z_01_L16154951_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-QUARTET.xml&archived=False

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The international Quartet of mediators on the Middle East reaffirmed in talks on Thursday their call on Hamas to renounce violence, recognize the state of Israel and commit to seeking peace.
The talks came a day after their envoy threatened to quit, saying the mandate and backing he had from the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations were unclear after the Islamic militant group's landslide poll win in January.
James Wolfensohn told a U.S. Congressional hearing on Wednesday the Quartet was undecided on issues such as how to channel funds to meet Palestinian humanitarian needs while bypassing Hamas.
The talks among senior officials in Brussels were billed as a simple exchange of views, but Wolfensohn's comments and Palestinian unrest this week targeting Westerners have underlined the difficulties in dealing with the situation.
There was a lot of information exchange on the ongoing aid review. No new policy lines were established, said an EU official familiar with the content of the talks.
The major powers insist a Hamas-led government, now being formed, must recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past agreements or lose international assistance.
The official said Wolfensohn's comments had been raised during the meeting but was unable to offer further details. No statement was issued after the talks.
Quartet members have stuck to their joint line calling on Hamas to commit itself to peace with Israel or risk a cut-off of aid to the Palestinian Authority.
But diplomats said ahead of the meeting that nuances have emerged among the positions of individual Quartet members.
Some EU officials have suggested Hamas should be given time to go through a gradual shift in policy, while Western diplomatic sources have said some U.S. officials are pushing for immediate steps to be taken against the Islamists.
Washington has threatened to curtail contacts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and other parties if they were to join a government led by Hamas, the sources said this week.
The EU has sought to bolster Abbas as a potential bulwark of moderation against Hamas and invited him to Brussels and Strasbourg this week.
However, that trip was cut short after the seizure by Israel of a Palestinian militant from a Jericho jail sparked a wave of unrest in the Palestinian territories, a development some commentators fear could undermine Abbas's credibility.
The EU official said the idea of Abbas's office being used as a conduit for funds that would bypass a Hamas-led government was still seen as a feasible concept.
Washington and Israel cut funds to the Palestinian Authority when Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas was nominated prime minister.
But the 25-nation EU has given the Palestinians a short-term lifeline, releasing 120 million euros ($143 million) in aid that mostly bypassed the Palestinian Authority.
(Additional reporting by Adam Entous in Jerusalem)