(AP) Mohammed Daraghmeh - The Hamas leadership has left its longtime base in Syria because of the regime's crackdown on opponents there, Moussa Abu Marzouk, the no. 2 in the Islamic militant movement, said in an interview Sunday in Cairo. He said Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal and his aides have moved to Doha, Qatar. Another Hamas official said this week that Mashaal twice turned down recent requests to meet with Assad and eventually decided to leave Syria. "Our position on Syria is that we are not with the regime in its security solution, and we respect the will of the people," Abu Marzouk said. "The Iranians are not happy with our position on Syria, and when they are not happy they don't deal with you in the same old way," he said, referring to a drop in Iranian aid to Hamas.
2012-02-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive