[Jerusalem Post Middle East] After failing to reach agreement with Hamas over the formation of a Palestinian unity government, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to form a new government that would not include representatives of the Islamic movement, a PA official in Ramallah said Thursday. In response, Hamas warned that such a move would be regarded as a "fatal blow" to Egyptian efforts to end the power struggle with Fatah.Nabil Abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for Abbas, said that Abbas was expected to announce a new government soon. He did not give a date, but another PA official said the new government would most probably be established on the eve of Abbas's visit to Washington, where he is expected to meet for the first time with US President Barack Obama. "President Abbas still hasn't begun negotiations over the formation of a new government," Abu Rudaineh said. "But he does plan to form a government with a broad coalition in the near future."
Earlier this week, Fatah and Hamas representatives again failed to reach agreement over the formation of a joint government and other issues concerning the status of the PLO, the Palestinian security forces and the political program of the proposed coalition.
Representatives of the two sides who met in Cairo at the request of Egyptian General Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman said the gap between them remained as wide as ever. They said the most significant difference was over whether the unity government would recognize Israel's right to exist and previous agreements signed between the Palestinians and Israelis. According to a source close to Abbas, the PA president is expected to ask the current prime minister, Salaam Fayad, to head the new government that would exclude Hamas.