US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that talks to reconcile Palestinian factions will be fruitful only if Hamas agrees to recognize Israel and other international terms. Clinton made the comments as she prepared to travel to the region after Fatah and Hamas agreed Thursday to work together to set up a unity government.
In an interview with Voice of America radio, Clinton backed the idea of Palestinian unity. "I believe that it?s important, if there is some reconciliation and a move toward a unified authority, that it?s very clear that Hamas knows the conditions that have been set forth by the quartet, by the Arab summit," she said.
Clinton reiterated the conditions demanded from Hamas, saying: "They must renounce violence, recognize Israel, and abide by previous commitments," such as the Oslo peace accords.
"Otherwise, I don't think it will result in the kind of positive step forward either for the Palestinian people or as a vehicle for a reinvigorated effort to obtain peace that leads to a Palestinian state," Clinton said.
Clinton is due Monday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to join an international conference aimed at raising money for the Palestinians to rebuild the Gaza Strip. "I will be announcing a commitment to a significant aid package, but it will only be spent if we determine that our goals can be furthered rather than undermined or subverted," she told Voice of America.
