Britain to talk with non-Hamas ministers

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (C) smiles as he stands among his lineup of cabinet ministers of the new unity government in Gaza March 15, 2007.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Britain, in a break with Israel, will allow diplomatic contacts with non-Hamas ministers in a new Palestinian unity government but will continue to shun members of the Islamist group, European diplomats said Friday.

"Britain is not going to have contact with Hamas but there are members of the government who are not Hamas and British diplomats will be able to have contact with them," a senior diplomat briefed on the new position told Reuters.

The diplomatic shift runs counter to Israel's decision to shun the entire unity cabinet.

Britain's position is significant because of the country's close relationship with the United States, which was expected to adopt Israel's line.

In talks with European leaders, senior Israeli officials had argued that allowing contacts with non-Hamas ministers would undermine U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the Hamas-led government until it recognises the Jewish state, renounces violence and accepts interim peace deals.

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A formal British announcement is expected after the unity government between Hamas Islamists and President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction wins parliamentary approval on Saturday.

"We will judge the national unity government on its actions and respond accordingly," a British Foreign Office spokesman said.

"The priority now will be to see just how we can engage with the national unity government. We will be discussing that with our international partners soon and initially it would be easier to engage with those independent members of the national unity government."

London until now had a "no-contact" policy with the outgoing Hamas-led government, much like the United States and Israel.

British contacts will be allowed with Fatah members and independents in the new cabinet, including the designated finance minister, Salam Fayyad, a Western-backed reformer, and the incoming foreign minister, Ziad Abu Amr.

France has invited Abu Amr to visit Paris, Russia never broke off direct contacts with Hamas leaders and Germany has not yet made its position on the unity government clear.

Israel had no immediate comment on the British decision, which was deplored by Hamas as discriminatory.

"Hamas rejects the selectivity in dealing with the ministers of the government of national unity. We urge Britain and all European countries to reconsider the position from the incoming government," said Ismail Rudwan, a Hamas spokesman.

Israel has announced it will boycott the cabinet, just as it shunned its Hamas-run predecessor, and has urged foreign powers, including the European Union, to follow suit.

"It is unclear whether the EU will be able to formulate a common position on this," a European diplomat said.

An Israeli official said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet would discuss the new Palestinian government on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, and Sophie Walker in London)