Britain, Europe, open door to new Palestinian government

Israel Herald Sunday 18th March, 2007

Britain and Europe say they will open dialogue with the Palestinians' new unity government.

The British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said, 'The peace process will only move forward through constructive dialogue.'

The new Palestinian government was sworn in on Saturday amidst hopes locally that the change will bring an end to international sanctions which have crippled the Palestinian community and economy.

Israel has called for a boycott of the new government, and has demanded sanctions remain in place. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has also reaffirmed tax and customs revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinians will continue to be witheld, despite a call on Sunday by the European Union that the funds be handed over.

The new Palestinian unity government, which replaced a Hamas-led government, appeared to implicitly recognise Israel by calling for a Palestinian state on lands the Israelis captured in 1967. The European Union welcomed the establishment of the new unity government. 'The EU will carefully assess the platform and actions of the new government and its ministers,' said a statement issued by the current German EU Presidency.

This was similar to phraseology used by U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Friday.

'We are going to reserve any comment about the national unity government until we have an opportunity to assess their platform, their composition and then have an assessment of the actions that this government either does take or intends to take with respect to the foundational principles for peace that the Quartet outlined,' McCormack said.

Palestinian lawmakers voted 83 to 3 to approve the government, then gave themselves a standing ovation after the result was announced. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in the new 25-member Cabinet shortly after the vote.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said Oslo would re-establish political and economic relations with the new government, saying the coalition was 'taking important steps towards complying with international demands'.

Norway's deputy foreign minister is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Monday in Gaza, Palestinian officials said.

The United Nations' Mideast envoy, Alvaro de Soto, and the British Foreign Office both called the alliance a 'step in the right direction'. Russia and France indicated a growing willingness to work with the new government.

Egypt, Qatar and Yemen called on the Middle East Quartet to end international sanctions.

France has invited Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr to Paris.

Britain, which reportedly will allow diplomatic contacts with non-Hamas ministers, was particularly enthusiastic but was echoing, in part, the U.S. position. Beckett said, 'I welcome President Abbas' continued efforts at intra-Palestinian reconciliation, which have led to agreement on the forming of a National Unity Government.'

In almost identical comments to McCormack again however, the British foreign secretary said, 'We will judge the Government by its platform and actions and respond accordingly. As Britain has made clear, we have always been willing to work with a government based on the Quartet principles. We will also continue supporting the Palestinian people, including through continued funding of the Temporary International Mechanism.'

'I welcome the ongoing dialogue between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas,' Beckett continued. 'I hope the National Unity Government will support President Abbas in taking this process forward. The peace process will only move forward through constructive dialogue.'

Recognition of the new Palestinian government was recommended by the Iraq Strategy Group, which empahised a lasting peace in Iraq and the Middle East was dependent on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Included among its recommendations was, 'Support for a Palestinian unity government.'

By Sunday however the U.S. position had chilled. U.S. National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, told CNN the United States will refuse to deal with the new government unless it forgoes violence and fully recognizes Israel.

'This government needs to renounce terror and violence,' Hadley said. 'It needs to acknowledge the right of Israel to exist,' he said.

'Those conditions so far have not been met. That is why we will not deal with this government,' he said.

Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, a spokesperson for the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, said the year-old U.S. ban on direct aid to the Palestinian government would remain in place until it recognised Israel and renounced violence as demanded by the "Quartet" of Middle East negotiators.

"We will continue our policy of not having contacts with members of foreign terrorist organisations," Schweitzer-Bluhm said. The United States considers Hamas a terrorist group.

But she said Washington would not suspend contacts with "individual Palestinians solely based on their participation in the unity government", so long as they are not Hamas members.

"We will make individual decisions based on our evaluation of the situation," Schweitzer-Bluhm said.

Israel was reportedly working overtime on the weekend to pressure the U.S. and other nations to resist any relations with the Palestinian cabinet. One of its major beefs is Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's claim, in a speech on Saturday night, of a right to resist the Israeli occupation.

'The national unity government's platform reference to the right of resistance is disturbing and contradicts the Quartet principles of renunciation of violence,' U.S. State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said.