Al-Qaddoumi criticises Abbas-Olmert meetings and the "autumn circus"

[ 06/10/2007 - 12:15 AM ]

LONDON, (PIC)--

Farouq Al-Qaddoumi, Fateh's secretary and the head of the political department of the PLO, criticised Abbas's meetings with the Israeli occupation government and called him not to participate in the autumn conference as it is no more than a public relations exercise which only serves the USA.

He described, in an interview with the London based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper on Friday, the conference called for by President Bush as "a circus that will only result in a declaration."

"I do not believe that the USA and its president, at his last moments in power, are able to put any pressure on the Zionist entity. The [Zionist] entity represented by its Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his ministers stress that the central issues of the Palestinian problem will not be the subject of discussion [at the said conference]," he said.

"This circus, not conference, which lacks an agenda is a public relations exercise that aims to embellish the image of the American President George Bush who faces more problems the more messed up his occupation army gets in Iraq," he opined.

He also told the paper that he thinks that the conference will end in a meaningless declaration, adding that long experience has proved that the Israeli occupation has always reneged on agreements reached at such conferences.

He called on the Palestinian side to boycott the autumn conference and expressed his opposition to the disastrous meetings between Abbas and Olmert as they do not reflect seriousness to achieve a just and lasting peace, but are talks for talks sake, no more.

On the internal Palestinian crisis, Al-Qaddoumi said that whatever the cost, the weight of Hamas cannot be ignored and that Hamas will be invited to join the PLO before the end of the year.

"Fateh is not against Hamas's participation in the PLO, but there is a wing in Fateh which I call the PA Fateh, which opposes Hamas joining the PLO."

He also stated that Fateh is in the main with the National Coalition which consists of all the forces on the Palestinian arena, hinting that there is a trend within Fateh which is linked to agendas that contradict the Palestinian national interests.

He also warned that the Israeli occupation government should not be able to impose a condition that Hamas does not join the PLO.

He also expressed support for the continuation of resistance and opposition the actions of the Ramallah government against it.

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