Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Abbas cancels meeting with Haniyeh over recognition of Israel

From Ynet News, 26/9/06, by Ali Waked [emphasis added]...

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has cancelled his planned visit to Gaza, where he was scheduled to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in order to discuss the formation of a Palestinian unity government....divisions between the sides convinced him that at this time there was no point in a meeting that would not advance the issues.

...in recent days the PA president has returned to weighing the option of dissolving the government and the legislative council, declaring a state of emergency, and appointing an emergency government, or alternatively calling for new general and presidential elections.

.... the Hamas government has returned to the same uncompromising stance that prevented the formation of a unity government immediately after the elections.

'Nothing left to talk about' [...in Gaza - the address is Damascus]
Abbas has become convinced that there is nothing left to talk about with Hamas representatives within the Authority, and he is weighing the possibility of sending a delegation of senior officials to the chairman of the Hamas politburo, Khaled Mashaal [in Damascus], in order to decide finally on the steps that need to be taken.

"We have reached a final conclusion that there is no point in talking with Haniyeh and those around him, as the decision making power is not in their hands. ....all of the agreements have been violated time after time – making trust between the sides minimal," a Palestinian source told Ynet. He added that Abbas will make one last attempt to advance the unity government, mainly with the Hamas leadership abroad, and if he reaches the conclusion that there is no chance for such a government, he will decide to either declare an emergency state and set up an emergency government, or to dissolve the government and head for elections......

An earlier report from Ynet News, 24/9/06, by Ali Waked explains that Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel torpedoed Abbas efforts to form national unity government ....

....Haniyeh warned over the weekend that he refuses to head a government that will recognize Israel, prompting Abbas to declare that unity government talks are dead.

[Senior Abbas aide Saeb] Erekat said Abbas "will tell Hamas, 'If you want a unity government, there are international requirements that need to be met, and that's the only way to form a unity government.'" ....

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