Abbas rejects use of force

2003-09-04 16:08

Ramallah, West Bank - Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas ruled out Thursday resorting to force against hardline groups to stop them launching attacks on Israel as Hamas said it had resumed talks with his government.

"We do not deal with the opposition in a militaristic manner but through dialogue," Abbas told a key meeting of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

"We have sent ministers, MPs and leading individuals to explain to them what we face if we make the wrong moves. They listened and co-operated," he said.

Israel has accused the Palestinian Authority of not doing enough to rein in hardline groups.

Following a Jerusalem suicide bombing on August 19 that killed 21 passengers, Israeli forces launched a series of air strikes on the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas activists.

Abbas cut ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad after they both claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem blast.

Senior Hamas figure Ismail Haniya told AFP that talks had taken place between officials from the group and Palestinian ministers on Thursday, without giving their names.

"We need a strategy of dialogue to protect the Palestinian people and their territories," said Haniya.

"The problems between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Arafat do not concern us."

Hamas political leader Abdulaziz Rantissi said he supported a resumption of dialogue with the Abbas government which was severed by the Jerusalam bomb.

"Abu Mazen (Abbas) took the decision to stop talking to us," he told AFP. "We support dialogue."

- AFP