[CNN] Jill Dougherty - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday ruled out working with any Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas if Hamas does not agree to recognize Israel. Clinton said Hamas must comply with the principles set out by the Quartet and adopted by the Arab League: Renounce violence, recognize Israel and agree to abide by prior PLO commitments. "In the absence of Hamas agreeing to the principles that have been adopted by such a broad range of international actors, I don't see that we or they - or anyone-- could deal with Hamas," Clinton said. Asked whether that means a public announcement by Hamas, she said, "Well, the PLO did that, and I think no less can be expected of Hamas which is, obviously, not only a terrorist group but is increasingly a client of Iran."
2009-03-05 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive