Straw urges Hamas to renounce violence

26/01/2006 - 12:18:39
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today urged the Islamic militant group Hamas to renounce violence and recognise Israel following its success in the Palestinian legislative elections.

“Hamas has to understand that with democracy goes renunciation of violence,” Straw said on a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara.

“It is up to Hamas to choose. We will have to wait and see. The international community will want Hamas to make a proper rejection of violence and to acknowledge that Israel exists,” Straw said.

A British Foreign Office official said London did not rule out the possibility of dealing with some Hamas figures “but the decision is not ours it is theirs, the decision to renounce violence”.

“We have a responsibility to accept the outcome of a democratic election, but those who run in a democratic election have a responsibility to renounce violence because the bullet and the ballot are incompatible,” the official said.