Palestinian Hamas lawmaker blasts Blair's remarks

Hamas lawmaker Yahia Mussa, based in Gaza, on Saturday slammed British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his remarks on Hamas, saying Blair was working to kill the Palestinian cause.

"Blair and (U.S. President George W.) Bush work to kill the Palestinian cause while Hamas wants a just and fair solution to it without going to extremes," Mussa told reporters in Gaza.

"Blair's statements don't necessarily represent his policy towards the (Middle East) region," Mussa said, adding that what Blair said was part of a public relation campaign against Hamas.

In an interview with the pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV broadcast on Friday, Blair said Hamas was sending some "not unhelpful" signals about the Middle East peace process but should be clearer on where it stands.

"Some of the signs coming out of Hamas are not unhelpful, but we need to know where they really are," Blair said, without specifying what signs he was referring to.

Blair also accused the ruling Palestinian faction of blocking the two-state solution since Hamas' charter calls for Israel's destruction.

Western nations, including the UK, slapped financial siege on the Palestinian Authority when Hamas took office in March 2006.

A Palestinian national unity government, which also groups Fatah members and was sworn in on March 17, has also failed to overcome Western and Israeli boycott.

Source: Xinhua