http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=72766&language=en
*Hamas: Cease-Fire Deal Not Ready Yet* 05/02/2009 *Senior Hamas official, Ahmed Yousef*, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that "obstacles" still remain that are blocking a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. The Hamas official said certain issues still needed clarification, such as whether a cease-fire agreement would last one year or 18 months and how much raw material and goods Israel would agree to allow in through the crossings with the Gaza Strip. "There is still some ambiguity regarding certain issues," Yousef, Hamas deputy foreign minister and the former political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said in Gaza City. "Things don't sound like they will be solved in one or two days. It needs more than just that," he added. Yousef said earlier in the week that he believed it was likely that an agreement would be in place by Thursday. But on Wednesday, he said he hoped that a cease-fire agreement would be achieved before Israeli elections on February 10. "They keep saying that the devil is in the details," he said. "When they brought the details, they saw many devils." Yousef said that Palestinians need clarity regarding permanently opening all of the crossings. "This is the only way life can go back to normal," he said. In addition, Hamas needed additional time to consult with other Palestinian factions, such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, "to make sure they will achieve a consensus regarding the cease-fire." Consensus was needed to ensure that everyone abided by the terms of any new agreement, he said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday that Israel would likely accept a cease-fire arrangement with Hamas if the group accepted the conditions stipulated by Egypt. "We are in touch with the Egyptians and if the Egyptians have in their hands the ability to let us know about a type of arrangement that they think they can announce, then we will accept it," Barak said. "We have said that if there is quiet, then there will be quiet and if there will not be quiet then we will be ready to take action." Israel was connecting the negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit to the talks in Cairo and would only fully open the crossings into Gaza after concluding that the negotiations for the soldier's release were on a "fast track," defense officials said. Israel is also opposed to a cease-fire with a time limit, and has told the Egyptians that if attacked, it will respond with military force. Regarding reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Yousef said that Hamas believed that the process should be monitored and audited by the Arab League and the Islamic Conference Organization. "We don't need anyone to accuse the Palestinians of corruption," he said. Some of the money for the rebuilding of Gaza would be given directly to Hamas, while some would be given to the Palestinian Authority, to UNRWA and to European organizations or companies, he added. When asked how parties would be able to donate to Hamas directly due to Israeli sanctions, he said that most of the donations to rebuild Gaza would be donated through the Strip's "banking system." Yousef also said that the US new Middle East envoy George Mitchell should to talk to Hamas "if they are to achieve a peaceful settlement to the conflict." He said he felt the Obama administration was serious in finding a way to talk to Hamas. "They understand that we are an active player in this game, and they are interested, actually, in achieving peace, security and stability in the region," he said. Concerning the issue of Palestinian reconciliation, Yousef said that Hamas leaders want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to release hundreds of its prisoners from PA jails and to stop intelligence cooperation with Israel. "You are collaborating with the enemy," he said. "This hurts our trust in one another." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
