Region | Palestinian Territories
Hamas could emulate Sinn Fein, says Clinton
Former US president Bill Clinton has suggested that Hamas could emulate the example of Ireland's Sinn Fein in renouncing violence in order to have a real chance to govern and fulfil its mandate.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 January 31, 2006
Manama: Former US president Bill Clinton has suggested that Hamas could emulate the example of Ireland's Sinn Fein in renouncing violence in order to have a real chance to govern and fulfil its mandate.
Addressing a gathering of business and political leaders in Manama on Sunday evening, Clinton said: "all the parties said that they would not deal with IRA terrorists until they disarmed. We had a peace agreement in 1995, and the IRA disarmed only in 2005. In the ten years, we worked towards peace and the economy continued to prosper. People made it impossible for Sinn Fein and the IRA to maintain popular support unless they disarmed," he said.
Clinton cited the Irish example as he offered two options for Hamas to renounce violence while governing, saying that the critical move would boost its chances of domestic and international success and make the Israelis and the Americans respond.
"Hamas can announce that we achieved a great domestic victory and we have enormous responsibilities to the Palestinian people to give them an honest, hard-working government. We still have to honour the president who is in control of the foreign policy which is 'no' to terror and pursuing negotiations. It is our moral obligation to support the president in the government we are willingly entering. They can say we are out of this business for a while," Clinton said.
"The second possibility for Hamas is to say that whatever our charter says we have agreed to be part of the legitimate government. Hamas can say that they don't have the luxury to unilaterally pursue their own policy and that they have to honour the government's commitments," he said.
Pressure
US wants other nations to cut aid
The United States wants other nations to cut off aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian government, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said before an international strategy session on Mideast peace prospects.
Rice ruled out any US financial assistance to a Hamas government.
Humanitarian help to the Palestinians, many of whom are poor and unemployed, is likely on a "case-by-case basis," Rice said on Sunday.
AP
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