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France Denies Visas for Hamas Legislators | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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STRASBOURG, France, AP -France has denied visas to two Hamas members of the Palestinian legislature invited to talks at the headquarters of Europe’s leading human rights organization, the Council of Europe said Monday.

The council’s Parliamentary Assembly last month invited members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, including two Hamas deputies, and members of the Israeli parliament to a meeting in Strasbourg this week to promote dialogue.

Francesc Ferrer, a spokesman for the European organization, said it had received a letter from the Palestinian legislature saying the Hamas members had been unable to obtain visas.

France and other members of the European Union have declared Hamas a terrorist organization and as such their policy would be to deny visa requests from the group’s members.