EU talks in six months – Hamas MP

Berlin, Feb 7 – A top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip said in a newspaper interview to be published on Tuesday that the European Union will agree to talk to the resistance movement within six months.

After the movement’s victory in recent Palestinian elections the EU made continued funding conditional on it renouncing resistance and recognising the Zionist regime.

“In six months the EU will talk to us, the world need not be afraid of Hamas,” Mahmud al-Zahar said in an interview with Tuesday’s edition of the Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Zahar is currently involved in talks in Egypt on forming a new Palestinian government.

In the interview he played down the impact of losing aid from the EU.

“We, Palestinians, do not need European Union money,” he said, saying two thirds of the 327 million euros of aid received every year came from Arab nations, with one third from the United States and Europe.

On the issue of Hamas recognition of the Zionist regime he said that no Palestinian would accept a state which comprises settlements or control of eastern al-Qods.

He ruled out Hamas negotiations with the occupying government.

“Negotiate about what?” he said. “Arafat and the Palestinian authorities have already negotiated with the Israelis. And what did that bring us? nothing!” he said that any politician “not belonging to Hamas, who is not corrupt and wants to do someting can join the government.”