Hamas sets conditions on trying to calm anger

Hamas’ political chief today laid out conditions under which the militant Palestinian group would work to calm anger in “the Muslim street” over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in some Western media.

Khaled Meshaal, speaking on French radio, said Hamas would try to soothe the outrage only if Western governments apologise to Muslims for the caricatures and begin drafting laws and other measures to make sure such “attacks” will not be printed again.

“We’ve said that we, Hamas, were ready to play a role in calming the Muslim street – on condition that there are two rapid initiatives,” the exiled Hamas political chief told RFI radio.

Meshaal pointed to laws in some Western countries that forbid denying the Holocaust. “So a law is needed to prevent attacking not only the Prophet Mohammed but all prophets and all religions,” he said.

Thousands of people across the Muslim world staged protests today to denounce the drawings first published in a Danish newspaper in September and reprinted recently in other publications.

Meshaal denied reports saying that Hamas’ leadership was holding talks in Cairo, Egypt, toward forming a new Palestinian government in the wake of the group’s surprise victory in election on January 25.

Those meetings in Cairo were just part of several visits with Arab leaders.

“For the moment, we are still at the stage of talks – whether in Cairo, Gaza or Damascus – in steps we are taking, and we hope to reach the formation of the government very soon,” he said.