Qatari mediation efforts brought about the Hamas' decision to respond in favor to a request from the United States and to declare a halt last month against attacks on civilians, the Palestinian Al-Ayam daily reported Sunday.
It added that currently, the US is demanding a complete cease-fire, but the Hamas has a list of claims it is asking for, in exchange.
The Hamas' announcement last month with regards to a halt on attacks against civilians in exchange for an end to Israel's assassinations of the movement's leaders is the result of mediation efforts between the United States and the Hamas, initiated by Qatar, the Palestinian daily, quoting "reliable sources," said. According to the newspaper, top Hamas leaders in exile met recently in Qatar to discuss the US demands.
According to the report, although there still aren't direct communication relations between the US and Hamas, some two months ago a meeting was held in Beirut between the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan and former top US officials, who helped establish the connection between the movement and the US. The result was the Hamas' declaration, last month in Cairo, on its readiness to exclude civilians from the cycle of violence.
According to Al Ayam, the Hamas responded positively to the US request as a goodwill gesture, even before the Americans established a deal with the Israelis regarding an end to the assassinations.
The Palestinian paper also said that senior officials in the Muslim Brotherhood movement told the Americans that the Hamas had decided to stop attacks against civilians and that the movement informed Arab and European diplomatic sources in Arab countries of this decision. The assumption is that following this, the US played a role in convincing Israel to end the assassinations of Hamas leaders.
The sources further said that the US still demands from Hamas movement to declare a complete cease-fire and to turn into a political party.
The Hamas, in exchange for this proposal, demands the removal of its name from US and European lists of "terror supporting organizations", the return of its charities' activities in Arab and western countries, the release of the movement's frozen funds, recognition as a key player in the Palestinian political arena and the release of its top officials who are jailed in Israel. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
