UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The U.N. Security Council told Hamas on Friday that a future Palestinian government must recognize Israel and commit itself to a negotiated settlement of the Mideast conflict culminating in two independent states living in peace.

In its first comment on the militant Islamic group’s surprise victory in the Jan. 25 Palestinian vote, the council congratulated the Palestinian people “on an electoral process that was free, fair and secure.”

The council welcomed the commitment by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah Party was defeated, to the roadmap to peace drafted by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia.

The Security Council reaffirmed “its profound attachment to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security” and reminded both parties of their obligations under the roadmap.

Leaders from Hamas and the ruling Fatah party have met twice in recent days to discuss the formation of a new government. Hamas has said it would like Fatah to join in a coalition, but senior Fatah leaders said they preferred to stay in the opposition.

The Security Council statement, read at a formal meeting by U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, the current council president, underlined the need for the Palestinian Authority “to prevent terrorist attacks and dismantle the infrastructure of terror.” Without naming Israel, it also called for a halt to settlement expansion and expressed concern about the route of the security barrier Israel is building to keep out Palestinian attackers.

At a meeting in London on Monday, the so-called Quartet that drafted the roadmap said it was inevitable that future aid to a new Palestinian government led by the militant Islamic group would be reviewed by donors against that government’s commitment to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that aid would not stop immediately. U.S. and European officials said it will probably take two to three months for a new Hamas government to form and take office, effectively giving Hamas a grace period to accede to international demands.

Hamas leaders are planning a South American tour, including visits to Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, Venezuela’s vice president said Friday.

In a letter sent to the embassies of the four Latin American countries, the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center urged the governments not to receive Hamas leaders.

“We urge your government to bar such a visit of representatives of an avowed terrorist organization that dispatches suicide bombers against civilian targets and openly calls for the destruction of the state of Israel,” Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Jewish rights group, wrote.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has moved to strengthen diplomatic relations with countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia while distancing Venezuela, the world’s fifth largest oil exporter, from the United States.

AP-ES-02-03-06 2025EST