ZURICH – AFP— Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Sunday defended Switzerland’s decision to meet with a Hamas delegation, saying the militant Palestinian group is “an important player” in the Middle East.

“Hamas is an important player in the Middle East conflict that cannot be ignored,” said Calmy-Rey in an interview with NZZ am Sonntag, a Sunday newspaper in Zurich.

She added that a research institute conference in Geneva last month — where Swiss diplomats met a Hamas contingent that included hardline leader Mahmud Zahar — had achieved “great progress” regarding an unofficial peace plan.

Israel’s foreign ministry voiced anger at the meeting, recalling on Wednesday that Hamas is seen as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, which Switzerland is not a part of.

“By officially receiving a Hamas delegation, Switzerland is not placing itself among those who support moderation,” foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

The unofficial peace plan, launched in Geneva in 2003 under Swiss auspices, aims to resolve the Middle East stalemate. Calmy-Rey said a 400-page report on the initiative will be going out to “different players” in the conflict.