By Xinhua,
Damascus : Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrived here on Friday for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and exiled Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal.
The latest developments in the region, particularly situations in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, and the peace process in the Middle East were expected to be focused during talks between Assad and Carter.
Carter’s meeting with Meshaal would deal with a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and the fate of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, according to deputy chief of the exiled Hamas politburo Moussa Abu Marzouk.
Such a meeting came at the request of the former U.S. president who desired to discuss with Hamas leaders both in the Gaza Strip and Damascus, Marzouk said in a statement.
Carter, defying criticism from the U.S. administration and Israel to meet Hamas officials, held talks on Thursday with a delegation of Hamas in Cairo after Israel prevented him from entering Gaza to meet Hamas officials.
The talks focused on the deteriorating situation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the stalled Mideast peace process, as well as the possibility of lifting the blockade on Gaza and reaching a comprehensive truce between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The White House immediately rebuked the meeting, criticizing that “We do not think that meeting was useful. As we can all see by the recent violence in Gaza, Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
Carter kicked off a weeklong trip to the Mideast on Sunday with a personal effort aiming at pushing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
On Monday, the White House urged Carter not to meet Hamas leaders.
“The president (George W. Bush) believes that if ex-president Carter wants to go, that he is doing so in his own private capacity, as a private citizen, he is not representing the United States,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.