EGYPT: Political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal reiterates Palestinian demands for peace settlement with Israel

The leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, reiterated the minimum Palestinian demands for a final peace settlement with Israel on Thursday (February 22, 2007), calling it a "realistic demand". Meshaal, who is the head of the Damascus-based Hamas leadership, made the statements while on a visit to Cairo, where he met with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. The ruling Hamas party, which won Palestinian Parliamentary elections in 2006, recently agreed a new power-sharing with the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party that it is hoped can end weeks of fighting between the two factions in which more than 90 people died. It is unclear whether the pact will end an international embargo of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. The United States has thus far taken a harder line than the other members of the so-called Quartet for Middle East Peace - Russia, the EU and the UN. On Thursday in Cairo Meshaal said it was time for the international community to take advantage of the Palestinian agreement. "The Palestinian people are proposing a realistic target and they want a national Palestinian state based on June 4, 1967 borders, including Jerusalem and the right of return for refugees without settlements and the release of all the hostages. This is a realistic demand that the Palestinian people, through the Mecca agreement and through a political consensus to develop a national government which provides a good political platform and a big chance that can be seized by the international community and an important step on the road to achieving peace and stability in the area," he said. Hamas has said it hopes Washington and the rest of the quartet will soften their position, while Arab nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which helped broker the coalition deal in Mecca, believe the government should be given a chance. The Secretary General of the Arab League said today that a unified Palestinian position was essential to progress in future peace talks. "A step in the creation of the government and a step in the Palestinian national consensus, the issue is not only making a government only, but it is a matter of a full Palestinian national consensus directed to have one Palestinian viewpoint and the Palestinian position is positive towards peace," he said. The Israeli government has rejected working with the Palestinian unity government outright, saying that Hamas must first recognise Israel and renounced the use of violence against it.

ITN Source | February 23, 2007

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