FRANCE TO OPPOSE SANCTIONS ON HAMAS

Hamas Expected in Saudi Arabia, Chirac Opposes Sanctions on Hamas
Hamas leaders will be in Saudi Arabia soon, the kingdom's foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said, as visiting French President Jacques Chirac said he opposed sanctions against the Palestinian Islamist movement. Faisal said France was of the same opinion as Saudi Arabia that an eventual Hamas-led government must be given a chance to outline its program and policy. Chirac, at the end of a three-day visit to Riyadh, urged Hamas to meet the demands of the Quartet while insisting the will of the Palestinian people must be respected. "I am against sanctions in general and especially in this case," Chirac added. (AFP/Asharq Alawsat-UK)

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