国际英语新闻:Obama's next visit not to make breakthrough in Mideast conflict: Hamas

GAZA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming visit of United States President Barack Obama to the Mideast region on March 20 won't make significant breakthrough in the Palestinian conflict with Israel, a senior Hamas official said on Friday.

Ismail Haneya, the deposed premier of Hamas government, told dozens of prayers in a main mosque in Gaza city that Obama won't focus on resolving the Palestinian conflict with Israel.

"He (Obama) would rather focus on hot regional issues related to the situation in Syria, the conflict with Iran and the results of the Arab Spring revolutions," Haneya said at the weekly prayer.

Observers and media reports expected that Obama won't propose any new initiative or plan to move forward the Middle East peace process, which had been frozen since October 2010.

"The visit will only bring the Palestinian side to a resumption of more absurd negotiations with the Israeli occupation, which is basically a waste of time and a trap of illusions," said Haneya.

He called on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) "not to be attracted or dragged to the trap of illusions."

Hamas, which violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, has accused the United States and other international parties of blocking any opportunity to end the internal division and make reconciliation.