Palestinian rivals talk about contradicting program for unity gov't

Palestinian rivals talk about contradicting program for unity gov't
Ahead of a meeting between leaders of Palestinian rivals, officials from Hamas and Fatah on Monday talked about different visions of a political program a unity government would follow.

For Hamas, the government "should have no ties with Israel and not recognize conditions of the Quartet," said Mahmoud Zahar, a leader of the Islamic movement which controls the Gaza Strip.

When Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006, the Quartet, which comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, outlined three conditions to deal with its government: recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting peace deals with Israel.

Zahar told Voice of Palestine Radio that "international stances regarding the Palestinian situation are different than the past."

In 2007, Hamas routed forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and set up its own administration in Gaza, leaving the Western-backed Palestinian National Authority confined to the West Bank.

This week, Abbas and Hamas' political chief Khaled Mashaal will meet in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, a few months after they signed an Egyptian deal for reconciliation, which envisions a government of technocrats to rule until elections.

For Fatah, the government's program must agree with that of Palestine Liberation Organization "to avoid putting the Palestinian people in new crisis," according to Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Fatah official.

"We are not talking about a government on the moon," al-Sheikh added, in response to Zahar's comments.

But Zahar said that the United States failed in its campaign to isolate Hamas and the government it formed in 2006.

English.news.cn   2011-11-21 21:41:45 FeedbackPrintRSS
RAMALLAH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua)