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Palestinian Power-Sharing Deal Complicates Rice's Mideast Trip

[Washington Post] Glenn Kessler - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the formation of a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas complicates her peace mission this weekend, strongly suggesting that the new government falls short of standards that would allow a resumption of international aid. "Our position toward the Hamas government was very clear: It did not meet the international test," Rice said. "I have to say that we have not yet seen any evidence that this one will." Abbas' deal with his Hamas rivals has placed the U.S. in a quandary because, under Rice's formulation, he is a "mainstream" leader, while Hamas is an "extremist" group that needs to be isolated. After a weekend of meeting separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials, Rice intends to bring together Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday for a lengthy series of talks on the contours of a Palestinian state. Rice's hope is that the "political horizon" will provide a vision for a Palestinian state that will inspire the Palestinians, strengthen Abbas, and reduce the influence of anti-Israeli militants such as Hamas.
2007-02-16 01:00:00
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