Hamas criticizes Solana, Blair for ME visit

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas criticized EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and Mideast Quartet envoy Tony Blair saying that both officials were leading a conspiracy to keep Rafah crossing (on the border between Gaza Strip and Egy pt) closed.

Hamas Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the two officials' scheduled visit to the region this week to discuss reopening the crossing "is a new plot to keep the blockade on Gaza Strip."

Abu Zuhri explained in a press statement that the visit aims at cutting the road before Hamas' attempts to reopen Rafah crossing with new arrangements by passing the Zionist occupation's intervention in monitoring the crossing."

Since the Zionist regime withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Rafah crossing was working according to an American-brokered "Rafah agreement" that stipulates the presence of EU monitors as a third party on the terminal.

Abu Zuhri said that Blair and Solana will also try to reactivate the agreement and enabling the Zionist occupation to control the traffic in and out of the crossing.

He questioned why the EU and the Quartet, comprising America, EU, Russia and the UN, does not pressure Zionists occupation to reopen the other crossings.

Hamas didn't want the deployment of the EU monitors in the same way as it was before since the agreement left a hand for the Zionist regime on the crossing through the monitors.

Hamas said that since the EU monitors live in the occupied Palestine, the Zionist army could close the crossing by preventing the monitors from traveling to the border.

The deal said the crossing could not be run without the existence of the EU monitors.