Hamas breaks it off with Abbas
06/06/2003 14:54  - (SA)  

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Arafat won't go away Opposition to peace plan Abbas confident of ceasefire

Gaza City - The radical Hamas movement has broken off its dialogue with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, who is seeking to negotiate an end to anti-Israeli attacks, a leader of the group said on Friday.

"Abu Mazen (as Abbas is commonly known) does not represent us, and we refuse to meet with him because there is no point to it," said Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi.

Rantissi also called for massive demonstrations on Friday to protest against the "dangerous results" of this week's peace summit in Jordan, which brought together Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US President George W Bush.

Rantissi said the demonstrations, after Friday Muslim prayers at midday, would take place at several refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Gaza towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis.

Another demonstration was slated for Friday night in Gaza City.

'The armed intifada must end'

At the summit on Wednesday, Abbas said there was "no military solution to our conflict".

"We repeat our denunciation and renunciation of terrorism and violence against Israelis, wherever they might be.

"We will exert our full efforts, using all our resources, to end the militarisation of the intifada, and we will succeed.

"The armed intifada must end, and we must resort to peaceful means in our quest to end the occupation, the suffering of the Palestinians and the Israelis, and to establish our Palestinian state."

Hamas, its smaller rival, Islamic Jihad, and two secular radical groups have already announced in response that they will refuse to lay down their arms.

- AFX

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