Sweden defends Hamas visit
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson attempts to counter criticism from Israel, France, and local politicians over Hamas visit
European Union's tough stance on the terror-listed organization.
Atef Adwan, Hamas' refugee minister, was granted the visa by the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem this week, allowing him to attend a conference in southern Sweden on Saturday, but also giving him entry to any of the 15 countries bound by the Schengen accords that allow for open border crossings.
The decision was harshly criticized by both Israel, which said it lent legitimacy to Hamas, and France, which recently rejected visa applications to other Hamas members because it is labeled a terrorist organization by the EU.
Persson stood by the decision, saying all 15 Schengen members had been notified of the visa application and that none had objected to it. "I completely reject that kind of statements," Persson
told public broadcaster SVT of Israelistatements that Sweden was legitimizing Hamas. "This has followed the process it should follow ... And it was done together with the other Schengen countries." No Swedish government officials will meet Adwan during the visit
Legitimacy to terrorists
In Jerusalem, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev called Sweden's decision counterproductive to efforts to force Hamas to recognize Israel, accept past peace agreements and renounce violence. The group has repeatedly rebuffed the demands, which are being pushed by the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers - the U.S., United Nations, European Union and Russia.
"Israel believes that the only way to promote positive change in the Palestinian Authority is continued resolute international support for the Quartet benchmarks," Regev said. "Giving legitimacy to unreformed terrorists cannot help that process."
The Israeli ambassador to Stockholm, Eviaton Manor, told SVT the decision "violates Swedish obligations according to international law."
"We utterly reject this decision," Manor said. Oliver Guerot, a spokesman for the French Embassy in
Stockholm, also denounced the decision, saying Sweden failed to properly flag the visa application as coming from a top Hamas member.
"If the application had been submitted to the French consulate, we would not have granted a visa to him,"
Guerot said. The decision was also blasted by domestic politicians, with opposition leader Fredrik Reinfeldt, head of the center-right Moderate Party, calling it "provocative."
