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President Thabo Mbeki will meet newly elected Hamas leaders to discuss ways of dealing with the Middle East crisis. In a wide-ranging interview with the SABC on Sunday night, Mbeki said he had talked to Hamas leaders even before the Palestinian elections.
"We had an agreement with Hamas... for us to meet," he said. South Africa has also been involved in talks with Israel. Mbeki said not only was it fundamental that Palestine was seen as a state, but that an Israeli state was also secured.
Mbeki also disclosed on Sunday night that Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition MDC had negotiated a new constitution last year, but that tensions within the MDC had stalled its implementation. He said the South African government had been asked to try to heal the rift.
 
"We did try, but it was already too deep by the time they came to us," he said.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Mercury on February 06, 2006
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