Palestinian Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip since mid-June, on Tuesday called on all Arab states not to partake in the U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference slated next month.
Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas' spokesman in the Gaza Strip, said, "The statement of (Israeli Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert shows clearly that Israel isn't interested in making peace with the Arabs."
"The statements of Olmert show that Israel is not serious in making the conference a success, and not ready to pay any price to the Palestinian people. Therefore, we call on all Arabs to boycott the summit," said Abu Zuhri.
On July 16, U.S. President George W. Bush proposed to hold an international peace conference this fall, which would include Israel, the Palestinians, and some neighboring Arab states, to help resume the stalled Middle East peace talks.
Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Qatar are among the Arab countries which the United States is intending to invite to join in the conference.
"What both Israel and the United States are planning to offer the participants in the conference is just grinding words and issuing political statements empty of its content," said Abu Zuhri.
Hamas, which is sworn in Israel's destruction, is listed by the United States and the EU as a terrorist organization.
Earlier on Sept. 26, Hamas had appealed to Saudi Arabia, an Arab heavyweight, not to participate in the peace conference.
"Hamas has fears that the summit in fall in the United States might be a gate for more concessions and for normalization of ties between the Arab countries and the state of occupation (Israel)," Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nouno then said.
"Therefore, we call on all our Arab brothers, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia not to get into this dark tunnel, and give more concessions," al-Nouno said.
Source: Xinhua
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