 Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction Wednesday of hampering Qatari mediation of efforts to form a unity government and providing political cover for Western-imposed sanctions. "We welcomed the Qatari mediation from the start ... We were surprised when Abu Mazen and his team said their agreement to any plan was linked to US backing for it," he said, using Abbas' nickname.
| “Hamdan called on Abbas to resign, saying the president was preventing the formation of a national unity government.” |
During a news conference held at the Press Federation headquarters in Beirut, Hamdan called on Abbas to resign, saying the president was preventing the formation of a national unity government. "In reality, Abu Mazen's team insists on preventing the creation of a government of national unity," Hamdan told journalists, saying Abbas was the one holding up an agreement that could end six months of political stalemate. "No one has the right to call for [early elections]. If they think there's a political impasse, they should resign and the president of the Palestinian Authority should also resign." |