Source:
The Independent www.independent.co.ukThe former US president Jimmy Carter is to give a full report to Barack Obama after becoming easily the highest-profile Western figure to meet Hamas leaders in Gaza since the international boycott imposed after the party's election victory in 2006.
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Earlier, at a UN Relief and Works Agency event north of Gaza City, Mr Carter – who has campaigned for peace in the Middle East since he brokered the talks which led to the 1978 treaty between Egypt and Israel – said he had urged Hamas to accept the three conditions, reiterated by Mr Obama in Cairo a fortnight ago, of recognising Israel, renouncing violence and abiding by previous agreements.
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After his meeting with Mr Haniyeh, Mr Carter, now 84, stressed that he was "not representing the US government in any way" and had come as a private citizen. But he said he would be writing a report on his trip, which has also included Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria, for Mr Obama, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the President's Middle East envoy George Mitchell.
Although Hamas has shown no sign of accepting the three preconditions, Mr Haniyeh repeated yesterday that Hamas would accept a Palestinian state based on its 1967 borders, and that the movement had "listened carefully" to Mr Obama's speech in Cairo, which acknowledged that Hamas had support among Palestinians but also had responsibilities. "We found a new tongue, a new language, a new spirit," Mr Haniyeh declared.
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Obama making good on his promise to open channels of communication with everyone.