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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: May 17, 2006 |
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Chancellor Angela Merkel is angered by the visit to Germany by a minister in the Hamas-run Palestinian government, who entered the country on a visa issued by another European nation, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The government did not identify the minister or the country, but the daily Die Welt identified him as Refugee Minister Atef Adwan. He recently visited Norway and Sweden, which is one of Germany's partners in the European Union.
Merkel "emphatically described this incident as annoying" at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, government spokesman Thomas Steg said.
The minister, who has already left Germany, "is an unwelcome person for the government," Steg said. He added that that will continue to apply until the Islamic militant group fulfills conditions such as renouncing violence and recognizing Israel.
He said the minister had entered the country on a visa issued by another European nation that participates in the EU's open-border scheme, and that the German Foreign Ministry had made clear to that country that it "disapproves" of its actions.
The EU, the U.S. and other donors froze hundreds of millions of dollars in direct aid to the Palestinian government after Hamas won elections in January. Washington and the EU consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
Steg said he did not have information on who the minister met in Germany. |
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