Hamas calls on EU to open direct dialogue
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The deposed Hamas government, which controls the Gaza Strip, on Sunday called on the European Union ( EU) to open direct dialogue with it.
Yousef Rizka, an aide to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya, said that the EU "should correct the mistake it has committed" by boycotting Hamas and should open "direct dialogue" with it.
Rizka said that Hamas doesn't see anything preventing such direct talks. He added that similar meetings between Hamas and Western diplomats "had taken place on irregular basis."
On Saturday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said his country was ready to hold talks with Hamas if it receives an official request from the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas' bitter rival.
The United States led an international campaign to isolate Hamas after it won the parliamentary elections in 2006 due to its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept interim peace deals.
Rizka said Kouchner's remarks "reflect correction of the mistakes the EU committed by going with the American policy."
In 2007, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and seized Gaza by force. Abbas responded by firing Hamas government and appointing a Western-backed administration based in the West Bank.
