Friday, April 21, 2006

Syria announces measures to support Hamas government

From Haartez, 21/04/2006, By News Agencies ...

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria on Thursday announced a series of measures to support the Hamas government, saying it would raise funds for the Palestinians and establish direct phone links with them.

Making light of the West's boycott of the Hamas government, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told reporters: "We are not afraid of anyone in our support for the Palestinian cause."Moallem addressed a joint press conference with Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, the leading Hamas official in Gaza, who has suffered two diplomatic setbacks during the past week. The Egyptian foreign minister refused to see him when he visited Cairo last weekend. And Jordan cancelled a Zahar visit scheduled for Wednesday after discovering a cache of Hamas weapons - with which Hamas denied involvement.

Arriving in Damascus early Thursday, Zahar held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad and later with Moallem ...."We are beginning a new era in constructive cooperation," Zahar said.

... Zahar played down the diplomatic rebuffs by Egypt and Jordan, saying the Palestinians enjoyed "distinguished" relations with Cairo.

Jordanian PM says smuggled Hamas weapons came from Syria
Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet told a meeting of parliamentarians that weapons seized from a secret Hamas arms cache in Jordan had been smuggled from Syria...The kingdom postponed a visit by Zahar in the wake of the find.....The militant group has a large following in refugee camps across Jordan, a country which hosts the largest number of Palestinian refugees outside the West Bank and Gaza.

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