The deposed government of Islamic Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip on Wednesday welcomed the ongoing visit of US President Barack Obama to the Middle East.

The Foreign Ministry of the Hamas government in Gaza invited Obama to visit the Gaza Strip in an open letter to the US president, who will give a speech from Cairo to the world's Muslims on Thursday.

Ahmed Yousef, a director general in the Foreign Ministry of Hamas, handed over the letter to a US group of sixty intellectual, academic and active figures which has ended a one-day visit to Gaza and would leave for Cairo on Thursday morning.

The letter, which was carried by local news agency Maan, called on Obama to end a three-year-old Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and Israeli settlement activities and to hold direct talks with Hamas.

Lifting the blockade, ending the settlement activities and talking to Hamas will be an opportunity to show the goodwill of the new American administration, said the letter.

"Solving the Palestinian cause will be an introduction for any positive and serious relationships between America and both the Arab and Islamic worlds," said the letter.

The United States still lists Hamas among the world's terrorist organizations. After Hamas won in the 2006 election, the US led a campaign aimed at isolating the Islamist movement which refused to recognize Israel.

"We are welcoming your visit to the Arab world and your administration initiative, which aims at bridging the gaps between you and the Islamic world. One of the most tense points between the US and this part of the world is the failure to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said the letter.

"Finally we just want to note that the government which was formed by Hamas movement is committed to a fair solution to the conflict, which doesn't contradict with the manner of the international law, the World's Court of Justice, the United Nations and the Human Rights groups," said the letter.

"Anyhow, all that the people are waiting to see is a real change that doesn't only based on ending the siege on Gaza or freezing settlements, but also a change that based on adopting a balanced and just policy and on respecting the law and the international conventions," the letter added.

"Once again, you are so welcomed, Mr. President, in Gaza in order to see by your own eyes the mass destruction that was caused by the Israeli aggression. Moreover, such a visit will strengthen the position of the United States in the region and will give it the authorization to deal in credibility with all the parties of the conflict," the letter concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2009)