US asks moderate Arabs to back Abbas against Hamas

US asks moderate Arabs to back Abbas against Hamas
14 Jun 2007 17:33:47 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Updates with State Department comment)

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - Washington has appealed to
moderate Arab states to support Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, officials said on Thursday, amid growing U.S. alarm over
a threatened Hamas takeover in the Gaza Strip.

A Hamas victory in factional fighting in Gaza would deal a serious
blow to a U.S. peace push founded on the premise that Abbas, a
U.S.-backed moderate, would be capable of reining in militants
and Israel would embrace him as a partner.

The White House expressed deep concern about the deteriorating
situation in Gaza and accused Hamas Islamists of "terrorizing" the
Palestinian people.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to Egyptian
Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday and the U.S.
ambassador to Jordan also talked to Jordanian officials, State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

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