DEL.ICIO.USFormer president in Syria meeting with Hamas leader
Cox News Service
Published on: 04/18/08
WASHINGTON - He no longer travels aboard Air Force One; now former President Jimmy Carter could be restricted to domestic flights.
It's not likely to happen, but Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., wants Carter's U.S. passport pulled because he met Thursday with members of Hamas in the Middle East.
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Hamas is the party of the elected government in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. The State Department lists Hamas as a terrorist group, however, meaning U.S. officials are not to meet with them.
Myrick has called for Carter's passport to be removed and for U.S. taxpayer money to be cut off from the Carter Center, the former president's library and global humanitarian institution in Atlanta.
As a House member, Myrick lacks the authority to revoke the passport of a former commander-in-chief.
"That's up to the secretary of state," Myrick said Thursday in an interview on the Fox News Network. "But, frankly, I wanted to send a strong message, because we have a policy in this country about Hamas. And he is just deliberately undermining the policy, and it's wrong."
Carter, author of the controversial book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," has said diplomacy with Hamas is essential to any effort to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
As president, Carter led Israeli and Egyptian foes to the peace table, resulting in the historic Camp David talks that ended war between those neighbors three decades ago.
Myrick, though, said Carter has turned away from a long tradition of former presidents respecting the diplomatic policies of sitting presidents like George Bush, who has worked to isolate Hamas while supporting the Palestinian government in the neighboring West Bank.
Carter, said Myrick, is undermining that approach.
"He's just unilaterally going off on his own and undermining everything the international community and the United States is trying to do," said Myrick, contending that Carter's willingness to meet with Hamas has lent credibility to a terror group.
"He's legitimizing them when they shouldn't be legitimized."
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More on ajc.com
- Carter's rogue diplomacy hinders peace (05/13/2008)
- Gaza is Hamas' 'habitat of inhumanity' (05/08/2008)
- Readers respond: Wednesday letters to the editor (04/30/2008)
- Carter should have focused on reality (04/28/2008)
- Teepen: What is Carter thinking when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian issue? (04/25/2008)
- A friend defends Carter's dialogue with Hamas (04/24/2008)
- Rice: Carter told not to hold Hamas talks (04/23/2008)
- Why talk to Hamas? (04/23/2008)
- Why talk to Hamas? A trusted man seeks dialogue (04/22/2008)
- Why talk to Hamas? Engaging with terrorists is totally wrong tactic (04/22/2008)
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Comments
By mwapohx cnmgbk
Mar 7, 2009 8:08 AM | Link to this
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By mwapohx cnmgbk
Mar 7, 2009 8:07 AM | Link to this
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By hjpkqymc dleoba
May 24, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
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By hjpkqymc dleoba
May 24, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
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May 24, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this
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May 24, 2008 11:43 AM | Link to this
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By Mark Paul Jones
Apr 23, 2008 8:19 PM | Link to this
Well Suzy, there goes the 'Land of the Free' part I guess.
Free for people who agree with you I guess.
Fact is - you can't throw a bomb whilst busy engaged in a conversation about Peace.
Whatever the current status of Hamas (and never have 'friends' become 'enemies' as quickly as at this point in History)Carter knows that excluding any organisation from Talks will simply marginalize and polarize that Party.
Maybe that's the point - that ordnance is worth a Fortune to the US isn't it? Just gotta find enemies to shoot.
I reckon you guys should build an 'enemy' bunker in the Nevada Desert and bomb it til your heart is content - no need to hurt anyone that way and you still get the Money - instead of wasting it on Health Care, Education, Global Warming issues, Space Exploration, promoting Global Stability etc etc etc.
Do you even care about the young American lives lost because of this Oil Crusade?
Needn't bother to ask about the lives of non-US citizens (including women and children), I reckon I can guess how you feel about that.
Every war ends in a conversation about the terms of Peace - maybe Carter can begin that Process - he deserves the Nobel Prize for trying.
By Dave
Apr 23, 2008 2:49 PM | Link to this
Talk from a doddering fool and lousy president. There can only be peace when one side wins and the other loses. Liberals want to TALK the hungry bear out of eating them. Wake up losers .
By richard greenblatt
Apr 23, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
I too believe Jimmy Carter is a dolt and egomaniac who knows nothing about world politics or history. He allowed inflation to soar as president, and allowed the Iranians to take our Embassy staff in Tehran hostage for a year. He has stated that George Bush is the worst of our presidents. In fact, he was.
By 1bassman9
Apr 22, 2008 4:01 PM | Link to this
Rusty,
Just because people don't agree with Israel's foreign policy does not make them "Jew haters". Just because people don't agree with America's foreign policy does not make them America haters. It does ,however, make them intelligent. You don't have to worry. I can see intelligence
will never get in the way of your of your stupidity!
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