A Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement leader said Wednesday his movement is ready to hold direct talks with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration but without having to recognize Israel.

"Though there is no change in the U.S. policy towards the Palestinians, Hamas is ready to open channels of dialogue with the United States away from Israel that we don't recognize," said Ismail Radwan, a Gaza-based Hamas leader.

Radwan's remarks were made to express Hamas' discontent at Obama who reached out to Arab and Muslim world in a famous speech in Cairo last June.

"Hamas was more optimistic that Obama will change the U.S. policy, but unfortunately the U.S. policy hasn't changed either towards the Arab issues or towards the Palestinian cause in the first place."

The United States classifies Hamas among the world's terrorist organizations. It also led an embargo imposed on Hamas after the Islamic movement won the Palestinian legislative elections held in January 2006.

"If Obama really wants to show that his administration policy has changed, he should stop putting pressure on the Palestinians and he should accept the democratic choice of the Palestinian people," said Radwan.

Radwan believes that Obama "retreated and withdrew his promises to the Arabs, Palestinians and Moslems and he still follow the same policy that his successors had followed in the past."

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