By Xinhua
Ramallah : A senior member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement said on Saturday that he was pessimistic over the success of an U.S.-host Mideast peace conference due to be held in Annapolis late this month.
Azzam al-Ahmad told media that “the U.S. administration believes it can overcome its defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan by making some progress on the Palestinian cause,” but he was pessimistic over the conference’ success.
“The preparations for the conference are not promising and the indications say that the U.S. will enter a new plight,” al-Ahmad added.
The Palestinians have often criticized the preparations for the conference, demanding more “information and clearness” about the conference.
Al-Ahmad held that “the Americans are wrong when they think they can achieve something quickly and automatically by the conference… this is a silly thinking because the Americans did not do anything to secure their success.”
He explained that Washington did not do anything in support of the implantation of the U.S-backed Road Map peace plan and President George W. Bush’s vision for two statehoods of Israel and Palestine.
Meanwhile, al-Ahmad slammed rival Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip after taking it over by force from pro-Abbas’ security services in mid June, while condemning rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza.
“What is going on in Gaza is not a resistance; it is rebel and military parade,” he said, adding those who want to continue the resistance “should stay away from the political life and don’t run in the elections.”
“Hamas is hungry for power and plotting against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),” al-Ahmad stressed.