US: No militants in Palestinian cabinet

Washington — The United States and three international supporters of the Middle East peace process said Wednesday that the next Palestinian Cabinet should not include members of Hamas or other militant groups committed to violence.

A statement by the four parties, known as the Quartet, did not name Hamas, but said a future Palestinian Cabinet "should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israel′s right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism."

The four, which helped draft a Middle East peace plan known as the road map, include the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

Hamas is participating in parliamentary elections for the first time and its popularity among Palestinians has grown considerably. Opinion polls in the West Bank and Gaza show it is ahead of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas′ ruling Fatah party ahead of the Jan. 25 election.

Fatah appeared to improve its prospects Wednesday by overcoming a split within the organization and submitting a unified list of candidates.

Israel wants to keep Hamas out of the election process since it has carried out suicide bombings. Israel has warned it will not negotiate with any Palestinian government that includes Hamas.

In its statement, the Quartet said there is a "fundamental contradiction" between militia activities and building a democratic state.

The statement said Israel and the Palestinians should begin direct dialogue immediately to coordinate preparations for the election.

"Pro-active measures are essential to the movement of voters, election committee staff and materials and international observers throughout the election process as outlined in the road map," the statement said.

It said both parties should work to allow Palestinians in east Jerusalem to vote "in conformity with existing precedent."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon′s government had warned that it would not allow Palestinians to vote in east Jerusalem because Hamas is participating there. But on Monday, Israeli officials said they may drop their objections to Palestinians voting there.

Control of Jerusalem is one of the central disputes in the Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians claim predominantly Arab east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Israel, which captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, says the entire city is its eternal capital.

The Quartet statement noted the continued importance of security needed to conduct free and fair elections.

It called on the Palestinian Authority "to take immediate steps to ensure law and order, prevent terrorist attacks and dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism. The Palestinian Authority must also assure the security of polling stations and of Central Election Commission personnel and enforce existing law."

The statement called for the enforcement of regulations and decrees that prohibit public display of weapons, external financing of campaigns and the use of religious facilities for campaign purposes.