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Hamas, Fatah Try to Form 'Unity Gov't'
15/02/2009 In the first meeting of its kind in more than two
years, senior Fatah and Hamas officials met in Cairo over
the weekend to discuss ways of ending the power struggle
between the two parties and forming a "national unity"
government.
The meeting signals a change in the policy of Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (whose term ended on
January 9), who until now had refused to talk to Hamas
unless the movement ended its control over the Gaza Strip.
A PA official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that the
meeting was also the result of the change of government in
the US. He noted that the previous administration of
President George W. Bush was strongly opposed to any form of
reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
Both Fatah and Hamas are under heavy pressure from many
Palestinians and some Arab governments to end their
differences and form a joint government in the aftermath of
last month's massive Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
However, Abbas's latest effort to iron out his differences
with Hamas are opposed by some prominent figures, such as
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a top PLO representative, and former
Fatah security commander Muhammad Dahlan.
Last November, the Egyptian government called off a
Palestinian "reconciliation" conference meant to patch up
the differences between Fatah and Hamas.
The decision was taken after Hamas announced that it would
boycott the gathering in protest against the detention of
hundreds of its members and supporters by Abbas's security
forces in the occupied West Bank.
The Egyptians are now planning to bring the two sides
together through a similar conference that is due to be held
in Cairo later this month.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said his movement has received
an invitation from the Egyptians to attend a conference for
all the Palestinian factions on February 22. He said that
Hamas has accepted the invitation. However, Barhoum added
that Hamas would again boycott the conference if Abbas did
not release all the "political detainees" in the West Bank.
At the talks in Cairo over the weekend, Fatah and Hamas
agreed to end the "media war" between the two parties. They
also agreed to study ways of ending the ongoing detention of
Hamas and Fatah members and supporters in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.
The two parties' representatives announced that they would
continue to hold "reconciliation" talks in the future both
inside the Palestinian territories and abroad. "The
departure of the Bush administration has paved the way for
Palestinian national reconciliation," the PA official said.
"In the past, Bush and [former US Secretary of State
Condoleezza] Rice were totally opposed to talks between
Fatah and Hamas."
The Fatah delegation to the Cairo talks was headed by former
PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, while the Hamas team was led
by Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of the Hamas
"political bureau." Both Qurei and Abu Marzouk described the
results of the talks as "positive" and said they had
achieved progress toward ending the rift between Fatah and
Hamas.
The talks were also attended by former PA minister Nabil
Sha'ath, a top Fatah official, and Mahmoud Zahar, the top
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip.
Fatah and Hamas sources said that the Egyptians presented
the two sides with a plan aimed at ending the power
struggle. The plan, the sources added, calls for the
formation of a Fatah-Hamas government, the release of all
"political" detainees held by the two parties, holding
parliamentary and presidential elections, reforming the PLO
and reconstructing the Palestinian security forces.
According to the sources, the two parties have already
reached an agreement in principle to form a joint government
that would serve for two years. The proposed government,
which would be headed by current PA Prime Minister Salaam
Fayad and would include several Hamas ministers, would be
entrusted with preparing for new elections and solving all
problems between the two sides ahead of the vote.
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