Hamas has crticized US President George W. Bush for dropping any commitment to a fixed timetable for the creation of a Palestinian state and warned against pressure to disarm "resistance" factions.

Hamas stated Friday that Bush broke his promise during his Thursday's talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at the White House. "Bush said he wanted to see a Palestinian state, but without a timetable," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told ,i>AFP in Gaza City. "He went back on his last promise," Abu Zuhri noted.

On Thursday, Bush said he believed his two-state vision was possible but acknowledged he did not know if a Palestinian state would be created by the time he left office in January 2009.

The Hamas spokesman also slammed Bush's call for Abbas to crack down on "armed gangs". "Bush focused on putting pressure on the Palestinian Authority to confront the factions. This is dangerous," Zuhri warned.