UK refuses to co-operate with national unity government while Quartet demands remain unmet

Friday June 08, 2007 11:42 by John Smith - IMEMC & agencies

The UK’s Consulate-General in Jerusalem has stated that the British government will continue to refuse to co-operate with the Palestinian government while the Hamas-led administration fails to accept the international Quartet’s demands.

In an interview with the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, Ross Allen, spokesperson for the British Consulate-General, reiterated that the current British administration would refuse to recognize the Hamas-led Palestinian government until Hamas accepts Israel’s right to exist, renounces violence in all its forms and agrees to abide by previously-signed treaties between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Ma’an quotes Allen as stating: “The British position is similar to the European one; it sticks to the Quartet's three conditions of recognizing Israel, ceasing violence and accepting the two-state solution. If Hamas adheres to these conditions, dialogue with them will be easy, and the Israeli prime minister will then agree to talk with them…We have nothing to do with Hamas ministers because we are not satisfied with their political position towards the two-state solution."

The EU and US have imposed an economic embargo on the PA since the Hamas victory in the January 2006 legislative elections, citing their definition of Hamas as a terrorist organization as the grounds for the embargo.

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