Hamas warn against concessions to Israel

Hamas warned the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday against making concessions to Israel at a proposed peace conference sponsored by the US.

Addressing Arab intellectuals in the Syrian capital, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the Islamist group's rivals were risking their political future by preparing for statehood talks.

"No Palestinian is authorised to offer concessions. With Palestinian divisions and the absence of institutions no one has the right to conduct negotiations as they please," Mr Meshaal said.

"I tell my brothers in Ramallah. Your game is dangerous. Don't gamble with your political future. The Palestinian people won't accept negotiating on the core of the Palestinian cause as part of a game destined to fail," he said.

Mr Meshaal was referring to a US-sponsored peace conference expected before the end of the year. Israel and President Abbas have said it would serve as the basis for talks to create a Palestinian state on land Israel occupied in 1967.

Visiting Ramallah yesterday to prepare for the conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she hoped a deal would be reached before the term of President George W. Bush expires in January 2009.

But Ms Rice gave no details on how it might be possible to resolve core issues such as borders for a state, Jerusalem and the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees.