Posted on 02/14/2006 5:42:10 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
EU foreign-policy boss Javier Solana, a Spanish Socialist, is currently traveling through the Middle East apologizing for the European free press's publication of caricatures of Mohammed. He said yesterday that he saw "no problem" with Russia's invitation to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to negotiate in Moscow, or with France's support for Russian president Putin's initiative.
France called the Russian invitation "an important historic event," though Hamas is on the EU's list of terrorist organizations.
Solana said yesterday in Cairo that Hamas must meet three criteria in order to make it an eligible negotiations partner for the EU: "peace, the acceptance of two states, and recognition of the other." But, though Hamas has not fulfilled even one of those conditions, as it still does not recognize Israel and calls for terrorism as "resistance," Solana saw no problem with Russian negotiations with the group.
French prime minister Dominique de Villepin said yesterday in Moscow, "I hope that at the meeting Hamas will be capable of calibrating its responsibility and of understanding the chance to advance along the road to recognition of the UN resolution on the coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian states."
De Villepin added that France considered Hamas to be a terrorist organization, but that the international community should "take into account the democratic option taken by the Palestinian people and try to accept as soon as possible the logic of peaceful dialogue with Hamas." France is the only country that has supported Putin's invitation to Hamas. Putin justified the invitation on the grounds that Russian has never considered Hamas to be a terrorist group, unlike its other three partners mediating in the Middle East crisis, the US, the UN, and the EU.
I wouldn't care if Russia talked to them in order to knock some sense into them, but that's not the way it's going to play out.
Among Christian Conspiratorialists (and that label is not used in a derogatory way), Solana is considered to be one of the prime candidates for eventually becoming the Scriptural, final Antichrist of Biblical prophecy.
Am I really wrong to think this is not Smoky Backroom material?
Sure doesn't look like it to me. I wonder who we're trying not to offend today?
Putinistas, of course. If anyone criticizes Russia's allies Hamas, Hizballah and the Ayatollahs, the Putinistas get very offended.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.