The Gang of Four start falling out

No sooner had the Famous Four US, or in dipseak “the Quartet” EU, France, Russia and the UK agreed to agree on how to deal with the shock of the election of a bunch of gun toting, Islamofascist jihadists which people had actually VOTED for, than the fissiparous nature of their rivalries has become apparent. It remains to be seen what Condi’s latest drive by diplomacy in the Middle East cock pit produces.

A memo to the UK Middle East Minister (dated Jan. 17 and published by the New Statesman magazine Thursday) Dr. Kim Howells, has “leaked” . It recommends that the UK “increase the frequency of working-level contacts” with “independent” MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt a grouping allowed social status but prevented from political activity.. “It is no longer possible for us to maintain a policy of minimal contact,” The memo was written by Julie McGregor a member of the Arab/Israel and North Africa group and marked 'restricted', and approved by Lord Patel’s (no relation) very good friend Jack Straw Diplomatic tattle suggests the UK should lobby the EU and the US to join in contact with the MB.

Very much to his credit when visiting Ramallah in September 2005, Dr. Kim Howells, asserted that Israel has no legal justification for building settlements considered it wrong to divide the Palestinian land and restrict people’s freedom of movement. (See Jerusalem Consulate Website)

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has also bucked the international line agreed with the US by inviting Hamas to talks in Moscow, (to be scheduled). Mr Putin said that Russia had never considered Hamas to be terrorists. The Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Ivanov, predicted that "sometime in the future, many leading states will start maintaining some contacts with Hamas" Putin wants to push a role as “honest broker” and point to Moscow's help in persuading Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic to accept peace talks with NATO during the 1999 Kosovon war , and President Putin's attempts to engage North Korea in negotiations over its nuclear weapons program. Russia also played a vital part in getting CIS states to help post 9/11 in providing logistical support, airfields and transport routes for the US to Afghanistan and Iraq.

France (and probably UK) would like to release the EU’s own financing for the Palestinian Authority (PA), frozen last December because of the PA’s chaotic budgetary arrangements, before a new Hamas administration takes office. French Prime Minister Dominique Villepin, on a recent visit told a Moscow radio station: "I hope that in the course of these meetings [with Putin], Hamas should recognize its responsibilities and the opportunity it is being offered. This is a very important moment; it is an historic choice for Hamas."

The European Commission has allotted €70m ($83m) to the PA out of annual EU aid of €500m for the Palestinians.

Altogether the EU is horrified at the decision of Israel to withhold tax funds from the PA and feel that this will serve to isolate and radicalise the territories still further. (Which is of course, exactly what it was designed to do !)

Under the cosh from the Zionist lobby The US has provided a form of words to cover for Israel’s decision to withhold $50m a month from the Palestinian Authority in customs and tax payments. “The international community cannot allow those who are elected in a free and fair election . . . to have one foot in the camp of terror and one foot in politics,” said Condileezza Rice US Secretary of State who is on her way to the Middle East this week to stir up more shit to hold discussions. She is due to have an exciting and interesting week.

After Israel announced pulling the tax revenues Brotherhood spokesperson Issam al-Aryan said: "Supporting Hamas is the responsibility of all the peoples of the free world and Arab world and not just the Muslim Brothers because it means supporting the democratic choice of the Palestinian people."

"Popular support in itself,is not enough and governments must shoulder their responsibilities," said Aryan, as Arab League ministers met in Algeria to discuss granting the Palestinian Authority monthly aid of $50m.

On Tuesday, Recepp Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister, struck a tougher line when he criticised Israel’s move to withhold the PA’s tax revenue.

“The result of the elections has brought a new structure,” he said, as his envoy met Hamas representatives in Ankara. “If we try to tame this new structure by economic methods, this cannot be called democracy.”

Meanwhile the PA have no money to pay the wages and the Israeli fighters boom at supersonic speeds over the Gaza strip assassinating people at will and finalising the West Bank Bantustan of their Apartheid state.

The big problem of the week, is however , who’s going to take George to the bathroom ?