Europe Moves Towards Talking With Hamas, Talks With Leadership in Damascus

[ 13/03/2009 - 12:33 PM ]

LONDON, [PIC]--

Two high-profile European parliamentary delegations were set to bound for Syria to meet with Hamas's political leadership there as part of a European moves aims at ending isolating the Movement.

The Quds Press quoted those sources as affirming that the two delegations would land in Syria within few days, and would comprise 15 lawmakers from Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, and Italy, adding that they would hold talks with the Movement leadership in Damascus.

According to the sources, the discussion would focus on recognizing Hamas as legitimate Movement duly and democratically elected by the Palestinian people in 2006 to rule them, and thus international isolation of the Movement must end, and Europe should reformulate its relationship with the Movement.

The sources, furthermore, added that three years of international isolation of Hamas proved that the Movement could be sidelined and ignored in the regional issues if the international community indeed wants peace to prevail in the region.

The European legislators are expected to pay visit to Palestinian refugee camps in Syria to listen to demands of the refugees, especially their right to return to their homes, from which they were driven out by Israeli gangs at gunpoint in 1948.

Human rights activists across Europe were active in leading signature campaigns in Europe to delete Hamas's name from the EU list of terrorist organizations with the aim to start direct EU-Hamas talks.

In a related matter, Hamas's lady lawmaker Dr. Maryam Saleh met with Norwegian delegation representing syndicate unions in that European country at her office in Ramallah city.

In a written press release she issued, Saleh revealed that she discussed with the Norwegian delegation political developments and the daily suffering of the Palestinian people in the West Bank as a result of the Israeli repressive policies.

For their part, the Norwegians asserted their readiness to offer all kind of help possible to the Palestinian people "out of their belief in the justice of the Palestinian cause", and as part of their "humanitarian obligation to alleviate suffering of the oppressed Palestinian people".