Mashaal to PNC: Ready for Unconditional Dialogue with Palestinian Authority
Khalid Mashaal, Hamas political Bureau chief, told the Palestinian National Conference (PNC) that Hamas is ready to hold talks with the Palestinian Authority, calling for maintaining public rage over the tight blockade imposed on Gaza Strip.The PNC- kicked off on Wednesday, Jan 23rd, 2008, in Damascus and will last till Friday Jan, 25th- includes delegations from 17 Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas.
"The conference raises the slogan of "Sticking to Palestinian national rights and the national unity is the way to liberation and return" and aims to end the inter-Palestinian rift between Fatah and Hamas" said Dr. Talal Nagi, the head of the preparatory committee, stressing the Palestinian future is created by cooperation of all groups and things won"t move smoothly when a certain faction is excluded.
In his speech at the opening session of the conference, Khalid Mashaal called for maintaining the so called "popular anger" against Israel to end the unfair blockade imposed on Gaza Strip.
He added that he and ousted Palestinian government led by Ismail Haniya are ready for an unconditioned dialogue with the Palestinian Authority under popular or Arab sponsorship to preserve rights of the Palestinian people.
Mashaal confirmed that" We don"t pin hopes on the Security Council. We actually pin hopes on our great nation", adding that the thousands of Palestinians who flocked into Egyptian lands through Rafah have their execuses. "Do not blame Gazan people when they destroyed the border wall. This border wall was destroyed under a popular- not organizational- decision", he said.
It is worth mentioning the Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine did not participate in this conference.
Talal Nassar, a public action official in Hamas, confirmed that the various powers and figures participating in the conference reflect the Palestinian public opinion and aspirations.
Ahmad Jibril, the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command (PFLP-GC), confirmed that any political action that does not preserve resistance is a free concession offered to the Israeli enemy. If there had been a real authority for the Palestinian people, Gaza incidents wouldn"t have happened, he said.
PFLP-GC chief also lashed out at Ramallah-based PA"s insistence on excluding the resistant Islamic trends "especially both Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movements".
As for Lebanese Hizbullah"s representative, Ibrahim Amin Al Sayed, he saw that "real dangers lie in internal fights and in the Arabs who are Israeli-armed and kill Palestinians". He also warned that " America wants Arabs to consider Iran as an enemy although it backs Palestine ".
Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine , called in his speech for stopping negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and called for the abolition of Oslo agreement, adding that what happens in Gaza is an Israeli decision which is silently approved by some of Arabs and Palestinians.
In a related context, the PLO Executive Committee which did not attend the conference said in a statement that this conference is deepening the Palestinian internal division, an accusation that was denied by the organizers of the conference.
In addition to hundreds of Palestinians from Palestine , the Palestinian National Conference was attended by the Syrian Minister of Information, the Minister of Expatriates in addition to Lebanese opposition figures and Arab delegations.
A big number of participants highlighted the objectives of this conference and that "The serious developments facing the Palestinian cause require such a meeting", according to writer Tahsin Al Halabi.