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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas and Fatah sign unity accord |
| 2007-02-08 |
| Rival Palestinian leaders signed an agreement in principle on a power-sharing government Thursday in Saudi-brokered talks in Mecca. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, of the mainstream Fatah movement, and Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas, signed the accord at a ceremony hosted by Saudi King Abdullah in a palace overlooking the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine. The deal sets out the principles of the coalition government, including a promise that it will "respect" previous peace deals with Israel, delegates said. It also divvies up Cabinet posts in the new government. "We have achieved progress in some points, and there are no points that can hinder reaching an agreement," he told a press conference. "We have a clear decision not to let the Mecca dialogue fail. We have no option: either to succeed or to succeed said Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad on Thursday afternoon." On the second day of their marathon summit, Fatah and Hamas were still working on the second part of the agreement: to what degree a new government will recognize previous peace deals with Israel. That issue is key to whether any government that emerges from the Mecca conference will be accepted by the United States and Israel. If they judge that Hamas has moderated enough as part of a new government, it could mean the lifting of the painful financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority government and a resumption of the peace process with Israel. Maher Mekdad, a member of the Fatah delegation, said the two sides had reached an agreement on the division of ministries in a new Cabinet. The important post of interior minister, who controls most security services, will be an independent candidate proposed by Hamas and approved by Mahmoud Abbas Mekdad told the Associated Press. The Hamas and Fatah delegations discussed the options until 3 a.m. Saudi time Thursday, and resumed midmorning in a palace overlooking the Kaaba. The wording of the new government's line on the peace accords has become the No. 1 issue, delegates said Thursday. Hamas, which has long rejected Israel's existence, will not accept that the government "commit" itself to the accords, regarding that as tantamount to recognition of the Jewish state. But Hamas will endorse "respect" for the accords. "We don't have a problem in accepting the wording 'respect' the agreements," said Nabil Amr, a spokesman for the Fatah delegation. "We have informed the Saudis and our brothers in Hamas that we are ready to sign any phrasing accepted by the world for the sake of lifting the siege," he added. A series of attacks on Hamas officials and activists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours is threatening to spoil the festive atmosphere at the Hamas-Fatah summit in Mecca, which began Wednesday with pledges by the two parties to do their utmost to reach an agreement on ending internecine fighting. Meanwhile, sources close to Hamas told The Jerusalem Post that the movement's Syria-based leader, Khaled Mashaal, would demand during the summit that he be named deputy chairman of the PLO. a move like that should disallow any future negotiation with the PLO, since it is now in league with hamas Such a move would pave the way for Hamas to join the PLO and turn Mashaal into the second most powerful leader after Abbas, who is also head of the PLO executive committee. "Hamas is prepared to join the PLO on condition that Mashaal is appointed as Abbas's deputy," the sources said, noting that Hamas has long been demanding that the PLO and its institutions undergo major reforms and reconstruction. |
| Posted by:PlanetDan |