Abbas to discuss Hamas ‘problem’

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 09/03/06

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Brussels, Strasbourg and Vienna next week, as the EU struggles to find a way of supporting a Palestinian Authority led by Hamas.

His visit to the EU institutions comes just weeks before Hamas - listed as a terrorist organisation by EU member states - is expected to form a government.

Hamas's victory in last January's elections, ahead of Abbas's Fatah party, has forced the EU to review its budgetary assistance to the Palestinian Authority, with Brussels facing a stark choice between being accused of assisting terrorists if it continues funding and precipitating the collapse of the Palestinian Authority if it does not.

Abbas will meet Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel in Vienna on Tuesday (14 March) and go to Strasbourg on Wednesday, following a Parliament invitation designed to bolster his standing.

Diplomats said Abbas's visit could also be important in gauging whether Hamas is likely to respond to international demands that it recognises Israel and endorse a two-state solution.

EU diplomats said this week that a number of options remained on the table, but warned there were no easy options.

Despite a consensus that the EU should not remove humanitarian assistance, the option of channelling assistance though organisations such as the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) or directly to utility companies, is being seen as limited.

While UNRWA officials are confident that their funding will not be harmed by the political turmoil, much of the EU's assistance via UNRWA does not cover wages or other bills currently paid for by direct contributions to the budget of the Palestinian Authority.

EU foreign ministers will discuss further ideas at an informal meeting in Salzburg on 10-11 March, where an options paper is expected to be presented.

They will also meet formally in Luxembourg on 20 March but it seems unlikely any firm decision will be taken ahead of Israeli elections on 28 March.

Diplomats said that ministers were also likely to want political backing from the European and other parliaments for any action they decide to take.

"No one wants to be the one who pulls the fuse on the Palestinian Authority", said one official, "no one wants to get this wrong."

The EU is also expected to seek international backing from the US and other donors.

Relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority appeared to worsen this week, making less likely the resumption of Israeli value-added tax (VAT) transfers worth around EUR 42 millon a month to the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz refused to rule out the targeting of Hamas leader and prime-minister-elect Ismail Haniyeh, if attacks against Israeli resumed.

But elsewhere political pressure on Hamas appears to be relenting.

EU diplomats expressed surprise and disappointment over the visit this week of senior Hamas hardliner, Khaled Mashaal, to Moscow.

"Hamas did not give the Russians anything," said one diplomat.

In a further attempt to galvanise international support, Hamas representatives are reportedly ready to travel to South Africa and Saudi Arabia to get political backing.

Article previews a visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Brussels, Strasbourg and Vienna. Author takes a look at the European Union's difficulties to find a way of supporting a Palestinian Authority led by Hamas.

EEAS: Countries: Israel http://www.eeas.europa.eu/israel/index_en.htm

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