Soccer Dad

US Ready To Drop The 3 Preconditions For Talking With Hamas

It seems that appeasing minds think alike.

The EU apparently feels that it is no longer necessary to hold Hamas to the 3 preconditions that have been used as the litmus test for deciding on whether to open dialog with the terrorist group Hamas.

Government sources in Jerusalem said France led the efforts to keep what has become known as the Quartet's three conditions on Hamas from being included in the European Council's conclusions on the Middle East peace process.

Instead, the statement said the foreign ministers expressed "continued encouragement for inter-Palestinian reconciliation behind [Palestinian Authority] President Mahmoud Abbas and support for the mediation efforts by Egypt and the Arab League." [emphasis added]

As reported by Aaron Klein of World Net Daily, there is word that during Carter's meeting with Hamas, he relayed Obama's willingness to pursue a similar route:

Former President Jimmy Carter presented Hamas with a written initiative intended to open talks between the Islamist group and the U.S. without Hamas having to accept all conditions previously laid out for dialogue by the American government, top Hamas officials told WND.

Those conditions, expressed twice by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are Hamas' renouncement of violence, recognition of Israel and agreement to abide by previous PLO commitments. The conditions were adopted by the Mideast Quartet, which consists of the U.S., United Nations, Russia and the European Union.

Carter, however, handed Hamas last week a letter "that aims to open dialogue between Hamas and U.S.," Mushir al-Masri, a member of Hamas' parliament and a spokesman for the Islamist group, told WND today.

Two top Hamas sources told WND Carter's initiative bypasses Clinton's conditions and instead asks Hamas to recognize the so-called two-state solution as well as the Arab Peace Initiative. [emphasis added]

Both the EU and the US would require only 2 conditions, one of which is backing for the Saudi Peace Plan. On the other condition, the EU just wants Hamas to promise to try to makeup with Fatah; Obama wants Hamas to commit to the two state solution. Posted by daledamos at June 21, 2009 2:36 PM