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Europe Opens Covert Talks with "Blacklisted" Hamas
[Independent-UK] Anne Penketh - European nations have opened a direct dialogue with Hamas. Two weeks ago, two French senators traveled to Damascus to meet Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, while three weeks ago, two British MPs met in Beirut with the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Usamah Hamdan. "Far more people are talking to Hamas than anyone might think," said a senior European diplomat. Hamdan said Wednesday that since the end of last year, MPs from Sweden, the Netherlands and three other western European nations had consulted with Hamas representatives. Political contacts with Hamas are banned under the rules of the international Quartet for Middle East peace on the grounds that the Palestinian faction remains committed to the destruction of Israel. The international community insists that the ban will only be lifted once the Islamists agree to recognize Israel and renounce violence.