European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Sunday warned that the EU could halt financial aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas wins January's Palestinian elections and fails to renounce violence. 
"All the political parties have the right to be part of the elections, but there is a certain code of conduct that has to be accepted by everybody," Solana told reporters during a visit to Tel Aviv. "It's very difficult that parties who do not condemn violence...can be partners for the future."
According to Solana, an administration including a party which failed to clearly reject violence and recognize Israel's right to exist could not continue to receive EU funding. "It would be very difficult for the help and the money that goes to the Palestinian Authority to continue to flow," he said, according to news agencies. "The taxpayers in the European Union, members of the parliament of the European Union, will not be in a position to sustain that type of political activity."
On Friday, the US House of Representatives decided to condition future American aid on the exclusion of Hamas from the upcoming elections. The resolution warned that the participation of Hamas in the Palestinian government would "potentially undermine the ability of the United States to have a constructive relationship with or provide further assistance to the Palestinian Authority."
Hamas has strongly condemned the US resolution, calling it a "flagrant and blatant interference in our internal affairs." "This shows that America, which claims to stand for democracy, is essentially anti-democratic. This resolution is another expression of America's blind hostility to Muslims which in turn generates a lot of hostility to and hatred of America in the Muslim world," said Nayef Rajoub, a spokesman for Hamas election list in the Hebron region.
Rajoub, who is also the brother of former PA strongman Jibril Rajoub, argued, "such theatrical resolutions" would only "strengthen Hamas and increase its popularity."
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
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