Former US President Jimmy Carter arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning through Erez crossing for talks with Hamas leaders.

Carter, who is the highest ex-diplomat to visit Gaza after a massive Israeli onslaught, is scheduled to meet with Hamas lawmakers and officials, including the deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya.

Sources told Xinhua on Monday that Carter would present Hamas a new vision to settle conflict with Israel and to restore peace.

Carter will also hand over a letter to Hamas from the family of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas has been holding as hostage in Gaza since 2006. Hamas said it was considering passing the letter to the captive corporal.

Prior to his meeting with Hamas, Carter will visit a Palestinian hospital and meet officials from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

In June 2007, Hamas, which won the parliamentary elections a year earlier, routed security forces of President Mahmoud Abbas and ousted his Fatah party in a deadly fighting.

The United States and most of the European countries bar official talks with Hamas unless the latter recognizes Israel and abides by interim peace deals.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2009)