Gerry Adams to meet Hamas leaders

The White House reportedly tried to dissuade Adams from meeting Hamas. Photograph: Guardian

Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent
Monday September 4, 2006
The Guardian

Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Féin, is due to fly to the Middle East tomorrow to meet Hamas representatives and lend his support to the search for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The MP for West Belfast was invited by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, which emerged as the strongest party in the Palestinian elections in January, is banned in both the EU and the US, where it is deemed to be a terrorist organisation. There have long been contacts between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the republican movement in Northern Ireland.

The Israeli government has made it clear it will not receive Mr Adams because of his intention to talk with Hamas. The White House administration reportedly tried to dissuade him from going.

The Sinn Féin initiative is the latest in a series of visits to international conflict zones. Martin McGuinness, the party's chief negotiator, was in Sri Lanka and the Basque country earlier this summer.

"The Sinn Féin leadership has shared [its] experience of the Irish peace process with those seeking peaceful alternatives to conflict," Mr Adams said. "It is imperative that genuine negotiation and dialogue between the representatives of the Palestinian and Israeli people commences as quickly as possible.

"While no two conflicts are identical there are key conflict resolution principles which can be applied in any situation. These include inclusive dialogue, respect for electoral mandates and respect for human rights and international law."

The MP for West Belfast was invited by the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, which emerged as the strongest party in the Palestinian elections in January, is banned in both the EU and the US, where it is deemed to be a terrorist organisation. There have long been contacts between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the republican movement in Northern Ireland.