Hamas condemns remarks by Cheney

Hamas has slammed US Vice President Dick Cheney's remarks, calling it part of 'war crimes' committed by the Bush administration.

"This is part of the American policy and this is part of the war crimes committed by this administration. ... Sooner or later the criminals will be punished," said Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader in Gaza.

The comments made after the remarks Cheney made in a joint news conference with Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas following their meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday.

Cheney said achieving US President George W. Bush's vision of a Palestinian state living alongside a secure Israel "will require tremendous efforts at the negotiating table and painful concessions on both sides".

"It will also require a determination to defeat those who are committed to violence and who refuse to accept the basic right of the other side to exist," said Cheney who was on his first visit as vice president to the Palestinian territories.

Abbas said, "Security and peace will not be realized with the continuation of the settlement activities, the establishment of roadblocks around cities and villages, the military escalations in the Gaza Strip, and the continuing military operations in the cities and towns of the West Bank."

Meanwhile, Saeb Erekat, an Abbas aide, said "I can't say that Mr. Cheney brought anything new in his visit, but he reiterated President Bush's vision and commitment to having an independent Palestinian state."