Mashaal to Al-Hayat: "Dialogue has brought about understandings and the details of the provisional truce after guarantees.

(Translation by Helena Cobban, 1/25/05)

London, from Ghassan Charbel, Jan. 25, 2005

Khaled Mashaal, the head of the political bureau of the "Hamas" movement confirmed, in answer to the questions of 'al-Hayat' that the dialogues undertaken by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) with the factions of the resistance have reached "positive results", saying that the ball is now in the court of the occupation and that of the Americans and the intertnational community.  And he clarified that a discussion of the details of the calming or provisional truce will take place after hearing from  (ikhtibar) the other party and assuring guarantees of implementation.  He stressed that Palestinian-Palestinian killing is a red line that absolutely cannot be crossed.  He announced that Hamas's participation in the Palestinian government is not proposed, and indicated that the PLO could perhaps become a Higher Source of Authority (marji'iyhe ulia) for the Palestinian people after its restructuring.

Concerning the recent contacts with Abu Mazen Mashaal said: "I believe that the intra-Palestinian contacts and discussions, and to be precise the ones between Brother Abu Mazen and all the forces and factions, which for a while now have been continuous on the inside and the outside and which deepened recently in Gaza, have arrived at positive results, and they were held in a spirit of great nationalism.  And this is a message from from us-- us Palestinians-- to numerous sides: Firstly to the international community (to stress) that the problem is not coming from us, the Palestinians, and not from the Palestinian resistance; but the problem comes from the Israeli occupation and its continuous aggressivity against our people. And therefore it is the responsibility of all parties in the international community that they comprehend that truth and that they work seriously to assure just treatment for the Palestinian people and to relieve the misery from it and that they aim for the right door which is the ending of the occupation.  A second message goes to the Arab and Islamic states with the aim that they stand beside the united Palestinian people, around its cause and its rights, and that they support its legitimate struggle using all means.  And a third message goes to the Zionist entity (stressing) that nothing will end this conflict except for the dissolution of the occupation."

Will the discussions deal with securing a truce?  He replied: "There is talk about a calming, but about a conditional calming until the time that the occupation becomes committed to defined terms, the most important of which are the ending of all forms of aggression and attack and assassinations and killing, and the release of all the Palestinian prisoners.  And in the event that the enemy should comply with these terms we in Hamas and also the other forces of the resistance, in general terms, we would be ready to deal positively with the issue of calming or a provisional truce."

In reply to talk about political participation, Mashaal said, "In this stage we are concerned with two questions: to grasp our rights from the occupation, and the ordering of the (internal) Palestinian house on the basis of realizing true participation in decisionmaking and the establishment of a Higher Source of Authority for the Palestinian people and the strengthening of the institution-building path, the democratic spirit, and true reform of the administration of internal affairs.  Therefore our discussions in this regard  envisage a common future. There are already understandings that form the beginning of achieving that at the internal level but there is still a long track ahead of us that needs plenty of seriousness and responsibility.

Might another round of talks be held in Cairo?  He replied: "Until now there is no fixed plan but we are ready and prepared for any step of this type, such as happened in the past."

He refused to talk about the flexibility of Hamas "on the inside" [i.e., inside the occupied territories] and its hardness on the outside, saying: "This is an evident game that the Zionist enemy plays in order to toy with the internal Palestinian situation and to mix up the environment of the Palestinian dialogues. The truth is that we in Hamas and all the factions have clear positions that represent both the inside and the outside, and Brother Abu Mazen knows this."

Regarding Hamas's view of the way Abu Mazen has been conducting the dialogues, he said, " In general there is a relaxed spirit in the dialogues.  The positive manner of dialoguing is ensured from both sides, the side of Brother Abu Mazen equally with the side of Hamas and the factions of the resistance. But what is important is following up, and that everyone should hold onto the Palestinian national fixed points like ending the occupation, the right of return, Jerusalem, and realizing true sovereignty over the areas from which the occupation withdraws."

Regarding the question of of whether it was proposed that Hamas join the PLO, Mashaal said, "This is one of the subjects of discussion.  For a long time we have demanded the formation of a Higher Source of Authority for the Palestinian people and there is nothing we see that prevents the PLO from being this Source of Authority after it has been restructured on political foundations and the organization of a new democracy."

On the possibility of Hamas's inclusion in the Palestinian government, he said, "This subject has not been proposed."

Asked about his personal relationship with Abu Mazen he replied, "We in Hamas, and I personally, conduct our relations at a high level of transparency and nationalist responsibility; this happens with Brother Abu Mazen and it happened with Brother Abu Ammar (Arafat) and all the brothers in Fateh and the Authority."