Abbas. Gaza first
Photo: AP
Abbas calls Hamas seizure of Gaza 'destructive'
Palestinian president reiterates his rejection of any talks with terror group. 'Hamas helped all the enemies of the Palestinian people and those who don't want to a Palestinian state. If Hamas wants any dialogue, it must reverse all what it did in the Gaza Strip,' Abbas says after talks with Egyptian President Mubarak in Alexandria
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip was "destructive" to the quest for a Palestinian state and reiterated his rejection of any talks with the terror group.
The United States is still working with Israel,
the Palestinians and Arab nations to hammer out the agenda of the meeting, which the Arabs want to tackle substantive issues of the peace process.
Abbas made the comments after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, part of a flurry of meetings ahead of a US-sponsored peace conference set for this fall.
Jericho Meeting
Attila Somfalvi
During meeting in Jericho, Abbas and Olmert agree to meet regularly to prepare for Mideast peace summit in US scheduled for this fall. Olmert: Our aim is to achieve Bush's vision of two states for two peoples, based on the roadmap, living in security and peace side by side
The conference is part of a strategy aimed at pushing the peace process between Israel and Abbas and isolating Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip after days of heavy fighting with Abbas' Fatah faction. Hamas has dismissed the conference.
Abbas and Mubarak (Photo: AFP)
"What Hamas did was destructive," Abbas told reporters, referring to the Gaza takeover. "Hamas helped all the enemies of the Palestinian people and those who don't want a Palestinian state."
"If Hamas wants any dialogue, it must reverse all what it did in Gaza Strip," Abbas said after his talks with Mubarak in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria.
Abbas met on Monday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the West Bank town of Jericho. Olmert told Abbas he hopes to launch negotiations "soon" on establishing a Palestinian state, his clearest promise yet to tackle a final peace deal.
Last week, Abbas held talks in the West Bank with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Hamas' seizure of Gaza split the Palestinian territories. The militant group is in control of the impoverished coastal strip, while Abbas has appointed a new government in the West Bank.
Hamas has said it does not want to rule Gaza on its own, calling for a dialogue with Fatah to form a new unity government and restructure the Palestinian security forces, which are dominated by Abbas' faction.
