| GEO World | | US sets conditions on Hamas, Hezbollah contacts | Updated at: 1347 PST, Wednesday, March 11, 2009
 WASHINGTON: The White House said that both Hamas and Hezbollah must renounce violence and recognize Israel before they can expect even low-level US engagement.
"The president Obama has stated on a number of occasions that, in order for anything like that to happen, there are certain responsibilities that those individual organizations have," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Those requirements include recognizing the right of Israel to exist and renouncing "terrorist activities," he said, also referring to the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip.
"There are activities and responsibilities that have to be undertaken by those organizations well before this administration can render a judgment," Gibbs said.
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