Hamas denounces W Asia summit, warns of more violence

Hamas denounces W Asia summit, warns of more violence
AGENCE PRESSE FRANCE

GAZA CITY, OCT 15: The Islamic militant group Hamas has condemned Palestinian participation in a Middle East summit in Egypt and pledged to continue its uprising in the Palestinian territories.

"We condemn the Palestinian authority's acceptance to participate in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit as a great lack of respect for the blood of our martyrs," the group said in a statement.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak agreed to attend Monday's summit to halt the violence after 16 days of Arab-Israeli clashes that have cost more than 100 lives, mostly Palestinians.

Meanwhile US President Bill Clinton said on Saturday that he will attend the West Asia summit on Monday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Egypt in an effort to "break the cycle of violence."

As he tries to solve the West Asia dispute, Clinton meanwhile, is faced with a potentially serious problem with Turkey. Turkey is threatening to reopen diplomatic ties with Iraq and deny the Americans the use of the Turkish air bases by US warplanes to enforce the `no-fly zones' over Iraq as a protest against the House of Representatives resolution accusing Turkey of genocide of the Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

Egypt on Sunday prepared to host a vital summit aimed at stopping Israeli-Palestinian violence amid few illusions about its success, as Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas stoked the tension further by claiming to have captured a senior Israeli officer.

Hezbollah Chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said in Beirut, "The Islamic resistance has succeeded in taking prisoner an Israeli officer with the rank of colonel in a complex operation whose details will be given later."

The Israeli army said it was trying to verify the claim.

The summit which both Barak and Arafat is to attend will also bring in UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Though Barak and Arafat yielded to intense international pressure and agreed to attend without pre-conditions, they have not dropped their respective conflicting demands.