EU Split on Blacklisting Political Arm of Hamas (Frogs say TALK to Hamas)

Reuters ^ | 6.16.03 | John Chalmers

[mhking]

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Britain and France clashed on Monday over whether the European Union should blacklist the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is resisting pressure to accept a cease-fire with Israel.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw pressed his EU colleagues at a meeting in Luxembourg to outlaw Hamas' political wing, but French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin was adamant it remained a necessary player in the peace process.

The military wing of Hamas, responsible for many suicide attacks on Israel since the 2000 launch of an uprising against occupation of Palestinian territories, is already on the EU's list of banned "terrorist" groups whose assets may be seized.

But the latest wave of violence, which threatens to derail an international peace road map by undermining new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas before he can assert his authority, has opened debate within the 15-nation bloc on a total ban.

"There is increasing evidence now that Hamas's political and military wings are very extensively intertwined and...Hamas has rejected the road map and indeed is literally trying to blow it up," Straw said.

"So there was certainly consensus in the room for us to look very actively at further action," he told a news conference.

The ministers said in a statement they were "now urgently examining the case for wider action against Hamas fundraising."

That appeared to be the lowest common denominator. Some EU states had misgivings about opting for a ban on the political wing, fearing it might only quicken the spiral of violence.

"MASS MOVEMENT" OR "TERRORISTS?"

Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said the EU needed to establish whether putting Hamas on its terrorist list while seeking its agreement to a cease-fire was the right strategy.

And de Villepin made a distinction between "mass movements" and "terrorists." "It is in our interest to have Palestinian interlocutors, I distrust a strategy based on cutting off dialogue," he said.

Keen to shore up the authority of Abbas, the EU foreign ministers on Monday held their first formal talks with the Palestinian Authority in three years.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath, speaking after that meeting, said he hoped Hamas would accept a full cease-fire as early as Tuesday, making the question of sanctions redundant.

Despite his optimism about talks being led by Egypt, there was no sign on Monday that Hamas and other groups spearheading armed resistance to Israeli occupation were ready to back down.

The EU's outgoing Middle East peace envoy, Miguel Angel Moratinos, told Spain's El Pais daily on Monday the bloc should add Hamas to its terrorist groups list because a political agreement would be impossible "if they carry on bombing."

But Villepin dismissed the envoy's comment, noting: "He's at the end of his mandate."

He also sniped at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for visiting only his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, and not Palestinian leaders during a recent visit to the region. "Mr. Berlusconi did not live up to the European position," he said.

At the weekend Villepin had raised the possibility of sending an EU peacekeeping force to the occupied territories to halt the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed.

Although the Palestinians have welcomed the idea of an interposition force in the past, Shaath was not enthusiastic, and there was a cool reception from France's EU partners.

[SJackson]

"Everybody knows he was good at the beginning, but he just went too far."

Was Marge Schott really French?

[optimistically_conservative]

France is a state sponsor of terrorists and dictators.

How much further into the "against us" column can they go?

[sd-joe]

"Villepin had raised the possibility of sending an EU peacekeeping force to the occupied territories"

It will probably be as effective as the French led EU force in Africa.

[JudgemAll]

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw pressed his EU colleagues at a meeting in Luxembourg to outlaw Hamas' political wing, but French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin was adamant it remained a necessary player in the peace process.

Of course, why not, after using Arafat as a "partner", Hamas or Arafat, what's the difference?

That said, it seems France wants to return to dark ages feudalism. Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people officialy. There are no gazillion parties and multipolar "peace processes". It's all a matter of ganging up for or against Israel. And this "peace process" is a farce on its face from the get go, there is no third party of peace in this. This is ridiculous. There are two parties: Israel and Palestinians.

Last but not least, it is not media groups and political organs whose existence will prime over that of individuals in any of these settlements. In the end these media political voices are submited to individuals' rights and the champion they may pick.

Chirac was not elected in a three way race, but after a second vote run in a 2 way race. There are no gazillion partners and opponents in this process, lest we want to return to feudalism. It's ridiculous.

[JudgemAll]

The French want to provoke and break our hearts, but if they expect us to beg them to make us feel better, they better think again. They cannot fix what they broke. And this split with the US is permanent, whether we want it or not, it is permanent, in their very hearts.

The French are hopeless and they are lost. The EU should put the French down, the French who are afraid of losing power to the EU. What Blair and Bush should do is demand that the EU punishes France for subsidising terrorists. AFter all, if it is wrong to subsidize their airline and aviation industry, I cannot see why not.