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Abbas rejects use of force
Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas ruled out Thursday resorting to force against hardline groups to stop them launching attacks on Israel as Hamas said it had resumed talks with his government. "We do not deal with the opposition in a militaristic manner but through dialogue," Abbas told a key meeting of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "We have sent ministers, MPs and leading individuals to explain to them what we face if we make the wrong moves. They listened and co-operated," he said. "They didnât shoot my messengers". Israel has accused the Palestinian Authority of not doing enough to rein in hardline groups. Abbas cut ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad after they both claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem blast. "cut ties" meaning he only sees them at unofficial parties. Senior Hamas figure Ismail Haniya told AFP that talks had taken place between officials from the group and Palestinian ministers on Thursday, without giving their names. "We need a strategy of dialogue to protect the Palestinian people and their territories," said Haniya. "The problems between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Arafat do not concern us." "We give the orders, not them". Hamas political leader Abdulaziz Rantissi said he supported a resumption of dialogue with the Abbas government which was severed by the Jerusalam bomb. "Itâs the Joooooâs fault. If they hadnât put that bus there, it wouldnât have exploded". "Abu Mazen (Abbas) took the decision to stop talking to us," he told AFP. "We support dialogue." "Talk hasnât stopped us before, why should we worry about it now?" Posted by: Steve 2003-09-04 |
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