European Parliament to ask for visas to Hamas deputies
Palestine-European Union, Politics, 5/20/2006

The European Parliament is set to ask Belgian authorities to grant entry visas to Hamas deputies invited to attend meetings at the EU assembly, EUobserver.com reported Friday.

At a meeting in Strasbourg on Thursday, the EP's political group leaders jointly decided to request "entry visas for all persons that it would invite for meetings and events on the ground they would be present on "EU territory, not in Belgium," said the website quoting unnamed parliamentary sources.

Most EU institutions like the European Council, the European Parliament and European Commission are based in the Belgian capital Brussels.

The decision follows a letter by Cypriot MEP Adamous Adamou from the leftist GUE/NGL group, who chairs the parliament's delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

In the letter, Adamou asked what he should do about a joint meeting later this year which MEPs would host for their Palestinian counterparts in Brussels or Strasbourg.

He pointed out that both Belgium and France did not allow deputies from Hamas -- which is listed by the EU as a terrorist organization -- to attend the March Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly, saying "the weak reaction of the European Parliament administration contributed to this refusal." Adamou suggested that parliament "exercise pressure on the national governments and authorities to provide entry visas exceptionally to the elected members of the PLC, including members of Hamas" to allow them to visit EU institutions in the future.

Adamou is convinced the EU will not be able to avoid talking with Hamas officials.

"Without approving Hamas' statements or actions, we still know their members have been democratically elected in the poll which we were also able to observe so we must find a way to communicate with them," he told EUobserver.

He argued that through dialogue it would be possible for the group's representatives to realize that they had to fulfill some basic criteria for the peace process to move on.

"Something must change...With whom will we be talking -- only with president Abbas? That is not enough," Adamou added.

Previous Stories:
  Abbas calls for giving Hamas-led government a chance   (5/16/2006)
  EU official said aid to Palestinian to about be set up   (5/8/2006)
  EU says it is not the major finance source for Palestinians   (4/22/2006)

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