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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/15/AR2009071503791.html
Ex-U.S. Diplomat Talks with Hamas as Washington Says Nothing's Changed
[Washington Post] Howard Schneider and Glenn Kessler - Hamas officials Bassem Naim and Mahmoud al-Zahar met in Switzerland in June with Thomas R. Pickering, a former undersecretary of state and U.S. ambassador to the UN. However, U.S. officials said Pickering had not been asked to approach Hamas and had no official standing. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday in Washington that before Hamas can participate in peace talks, "we have made it clear, both publicly and privately, through all kinds of pronouncements, that we would expect Hamas to recognize Israel and renounce violence and agree to abide by prior agreements."