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DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Former President Jimmy Carter met with the exiled leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the second time this year.
Today’s meeting in Damascus is part of Carter’s regional discussions on Middle East conflicts.
Officials from the anti-Israel Hamas kept reporters away from the venue and no news conference was scheduled.
Carter first met with the head of Hamas’ policy-making body, Khaled Mashaal, in April. That meeting drew sharp criticism from the Bush administration, which labels Hamas a terrorist group and contends such meetings give credibility to hard-line militants.
Carter said on Saturday, however, that he intends to continue meeting with Hamas leaders because peace requires dialogue with all sides.
