to serially lick terrorist-sputum
directly from the lips of Arafat the Egyptian, serial murderer of Americans and children.
The EU loves murderers of Jews, children and Americans. It is their way (and Wyndego tradition).
Posted on 09/05/2003 1:11:13 PM PDT by anotherview
Last Update: 05/09/2003 22:30
PM to Solana: Put Hamas on terror list, stop flow of money
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday called on the European Union to put Hamas and all of the organization's branches on the list of terror groups, in a phone conversation with EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana. Sharon also called on stopping the flow of money to Hamas from Europe.
The foreign ministers of the 15 member states of the European Union are convening Friday in Italy to consider a proposal to place the political wing of the Hamas movement on a list of terrorist organizations. Currently, the EU considers only Hamas' military wing a terror group.
Prime Minister Sharon, who canceled a meeting last week with Solana due to illness, also said that Yasser Arafat is the obstacle to peace and that the contacts European officials continue to hold with the Palestinian leader are holding up any possible solution.
Report: U.S. not ruling out Arafat expulsion
The White House is no longer rejecting outright the possible expulsion of Yasser Arafat by Israel, Channel One TV reported Friday evening. It cited the Hamas suicide bombing of a Jerusalem bus in which 22 people were killed, the PA Chairman's refusal to transfer to Abbas the security forces under his control and Arafat's undermining of the Palestinian prime minister as the reasons for the change in the administration's view.
The report also said that the U.S. is disappointed with Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas.
"We support Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas' efforts to consolidate security forces all under his authority so he can go after those terrorist organizations within the Palestinian community who are destroying the dreams of the Palestinian people," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday. "Unfortunately, Chariman Yasser Arafat has not been playing a helpful role. He has not been an interlocutor for peace over the years. His actions do not move the parties farther down the road to peace."
Straw: 'Broad consensus to outlaw Hamas political wing
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Friday the European Union had reached a "broad consensus" to outlaw the political wing of Hamas, ahead of talks on the Palestinian militant group.
EU foreign ministers, meeting in the Italian lakeside resort of Riva del Garda, are due to discuss both blacklisting Hamas as a terrorist group and the crisis facing the Palestinian Authority on Saturday.
"In my judgment the European Union does need to outlaw them. I think that is the broad consensus. I hope it turns into a unanimous decision," Straw told reporters on the margins of the meeting.
"I think the case against its so-called political wing, as well as its militia wing, is now overwhelming."
He said the EU had given Hamas a chance to avoid being outlawed in June and early July. But by claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing in which 21 people died in Jerusalem on August 19, it was "perfectly plain that they have failed to take that chance."
MK: 'Good chance' France, Belgium will put Hamas political wing on terror list
Earlier Friday, the chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio that there is a "good chance" that the foreign ministers of France and Belgium will join some of their EU counterparts in placing the political wing of Hamas on a list of terrorist organizations.
Steinitz said it's "absurd" not to view all of Hamas as a terrorist organization just because part of the group also helps the Palestinian people. "If there's an organization that carries out murderous terror activities, then to come and say, 'Yes, but it also operates a kindergarten, it also has that aspect' - that's really absurd."
Israel and the United States have made extensive efforts over the past number of days to convince the EU to change its position on Hamas' political wing. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has recently discussed the matter with a number of his European counterparts.
Israel is aware that the European nations hold varying opinions on the issue.
Italy, currently holding the rotating EU presidency, Great Britain, Germany, Holland and Luxembourg are pushing to rub out the distinctions between Hamas' political and military wings and designate the entire organization a terror group. Austria, Greece, and Ireland oppose this change.
Nevertheless, diplomatic sources in Israel say that France's position is not final. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will place pressure on the French to support the proposal to change the designation of the political wing.
The foreign ministers' meeting will last two days, and will be held in an informal manner without aides or advisors. The decisions made during the meeting will be considered recommendations to the formal ministers' council, scheduled to be held at the end of September.
Sources in Jerusalem believe the proposal may indeed by accepted by the EU ministers. If it is not accepted, the decision may be postponed to the formal meeting at the end of the month. Alternatively, the EU may prevent the transfer of funds to Hamas without completely cutting diplomatic-political connections with the movement.
Interesting, and about time...
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Friday the European Union had reached a "broad consensus" to outlaw the political wing of Hamas, ahead of talks on the Palestinian militant group.
Definition of "broad consensus": everyone except France, Austria and Greece?
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