“Peacekeepers will not succeed”

15 June 2007

BRUSSELS (AP) – Belgium, which currently holds the presidency of the U.N. Security Council, said Friday that a peacekeeping force for the Gaza strip would stand no chance of success under the current circumstances.

“At this stage, there is not even the beginning of the conditions under which a possible peacekeeping force could operate,” said Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht “At this point, a proposal would stand no chance.”

Recent fighting in Gaza left the Palestinian territories effectively split in two. Gaza is now controlled by Hamas, which has close ties to Syria and Iran. The more populous West Bank is dominated by the more moderate Fatah, which has ties to Israel and the West.

On its first day of full rule in Gaza, the Islamic militant Hamas announced Friday that it is granting amnesty to senior Fatah leaders, signalling that it is seeking conciliation with the defeated forces of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“It was the aim of the government of national unity to bring the security troops of both factions in one police force and that is now a grandiose failure,” said De Gucht.

[Copyright AP 2007]

Subject: Belgian news