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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: March 5, 2006 |
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South Africa believes the Middle East peace process can benefit from the lessons of its own mostly peaceful transition to democracy, and so is reaching out to Hamas despite attempts by Israel to isolate the militant group Palestinians voted into power.
President Thabo Mbeki said in an interview early last month that South Africa had agreed to talks with Hamas leaders, after the group was also invited to Russia - a visit that began Friday. No date had been set for the meeting in South Africa.
Outreach to Hamas is viewed with suspicion and displeasure by Israel, which wants the Palestinian militant group isolated until it renounces terrorism and accepts Israel's right to exist - the latter a condition rejected again by its political leader, Khaled Mashal, in Moscow Friday. Like Israel, the United States and European Union view Hamas as a terrorist group.
South Africa's position may be influenced by its own leaders' experience shaking off a hated regime, by its experience as a regional peace broker, and by Israel's close ties to the previous apartheid regime in Pretoria.
South Africa is better known as a mediator in African conflicts, including in Ivory Coast and Burundi. It has never been a major player in the Middle East peace process, but it views Hamas - which won a landslide victory in Jan. 25 Palestinian elections - as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians and believes because of its own history in overcoming apartheid it can help the search for peace and stability.
"The motivation is conflict resolution and the belief that it is better to be inclusive rather than exclusive," said Greg Mills, the director of the Brenthurst Foundation, a private South African think tank.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev has criticized the South African invitation, expressing concern "that giving legitimacy to an unreformed Hamas could stifle the possibility that the movement will transform itself from a terrorist organization to a political party."
Mills said Friday that South Africa did not deliberately try to break efforts to isolate Hamas until it renounces violence, but instead tried to follow an independent path using its experience with conflict resolution to try help stabilize the Middle East.
Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said in a statement Thursday that South Africa believes it needs to engage with the Hamas leadership in an effort to bring about peace.
"The proposed meeting will take place within the context of ongoing efforts by South Africa under the presidential initiative to share our experiences on the transition from apartheid to democracy with both Palestinians and the Israelis," said Pahad.
South African relations with Israel have been strained because of Israel's support for the white-supremacist government during the apartheid years. Although South Africa has a significant and vocal Muslim minority, it has tried to remain neutral in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and has sought ways to contribute to the peace process.
The government has repeatedly said it favors an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. |
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