The European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has recently held a secret meeting with representatives of Palestinian movement, Hamas, it was revealed on Thursday.
In an interview with the BBC, Solana said that he had the meeting some months ago, without saying with whom he met.
According to him, the meeting came at a time when there seemed to be an opportunity to push for progress in the Middle East peace process.
He said he conveyed a message from the international community, that if Hamas wanted to help the people of Palestine, it would have to end violence and disarm.
Later, Solana's office issued a statement clarifying that "at no time Dr. Solana wished to imply that direct contacts between himself and Hamas had taken place" since the Islamic movement was put on the EU's list of banned "terrorist" groups. "At no time did the High Representative nor his office hold direct contacts with Hamas or any other organization appearing on the EU terrorist list." (albawaba.com)
