Palestinians invited to sign unity accord Publish Date: Saturday,30 April, 2011, at 12:38 PM Doha Time Reuters/Gaza
Egypt has invited Palestinian leaders to Cairo next week for the signing of a unity agreement that would end rivalry among ruling factions, Palestinian officials said yesterday. The Egyptian-brokered deal, announced unexpectedly on Wednesday, calls for forming a new government acceptable to both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, which is dominant in the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip Hamas's rulers. Israel denounced the agreement, saying Abbas could not be a peace partner if he mends ties with Hamas, an Islamist group whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, but which has said it is open to a long-term ceasefire. Western powers said the unity deal was an important step, but made clear they expect any new administration to accept international demands, which include the recognition of Israel and a renunciation of violence. "We have always asked for reconciliation and peace between Gaza and the occupied territory (West Bank). But this can only work if it is done in the necessary environment," said Pierre Vimont, secretary general of the diplomatic corps of the European Union. The EU, in co-ordination with the US, UN and Russia, has been trying to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "What we are expecting is a clear reaffirmation of what we think are the milestones for the peace process." The invitation from Egypt, received by factional leaders in the Gaza Strip, said the three-day ceremony will start on May 2 and end with the official signing by the Western-backed Abbas and Damascus-based Hamas leader-in-exile Khalid Mishal. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian officials. The surprise deal was announced as peace talks with Israel have been frozen for months and the Palestinians are pushing unilaterally for UN statehood recognition come September. It calls for the formation of an interim government of independents until presidential and parliamentary elections, to be held in a year. Hamas won the last Palestinian legislative election held in 2006. A unity government it formed with Fatah did not last long, collapsing into a brief civil war in which the Islamists seized Gaza in 2007. Implementation of the latest agreement could be tough with both groups running their own security forces. Back to Article Homepage ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
