GAZA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Hamas has formed a technical committee to study and debate the Arab Peace Initiative reached in Beirut in 2002, Hamas spokesman in the West Bank Adnan Asfour said on Wednesday.

    Specialized law experts from the Palestinian territories and abroad were studying the legal and political aspects of the initiative and other international resolutions related to the Palestinian cause, said Asfour.

    The committee was in response to a proposal made by Palestinian prisoners, which accepts the Arab peace initiative of 2002 and calls for forming a coalition government on the base of recognition of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinians.

    The proposal, which calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war, was widely seen as recognition of Israel implicitly.

    "Hamas movement intends to recognize any proposal that doesn¡¯t include a clear recognition of the state of Israel. Clear and frank recognition of Israel would never be without return," said Asfour.

    Hamas has been denying Israel's right to exist since it emerged in the 1980s as a radical militant group.

    The group never changes its stance toward Israel even after it wins in the election.

    However, Hamas' hardline policy triggered foreign aid cutoff, which left the Palestinians in a deep crisis.

    "Hamas is working on a survey to get close to a national program that saves the current Palestinian situation and helps ending the political crisis and the external siege," said the spokesman.

    The Hamas move came after President Mahmoud Abbas threatened last week to hold a referendum within 40 days if Hamas and other factions fail to agree to the proposal. Enditem