British foreign secretary says boycott to remain unless Hamas agrees to change

Visiting British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett Wednesday said even if Palestinian mainstream movements of Hamas and Fatah forged a coalition government, London will shun it as long as Hamas defies three international demands, local media reported.

Beckett was quoted by Ha'aretz daily as saying that a new Palestinian government would have to subscribe to three demands of the Mideast Quartet grouping the UN, the U.S., Russia and the EU, namely renouncing violence, recognizing Israel and respecting previous interim peace deals.

"If nothing new changes from the position there's been hitherto, I'm afraid the position will stay the same," said Beckett, who arrived in Israel on Monday evening for a two-day visit.

The remarks came as leaders of Hamas and rival Fatah, led by Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, began talks in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in an effort to forge a power-sharing government and end bloody street battles between the two sides.

The Palestinian government has been isolated by the international community since Hamas' parliamentary victory in January 2006, due to Hamas' refusal to soften its stance to meet the Quartet's demands.

Source: Xinhua