octubre 22, 2008

Hamas supports Egypt plan for Palestine unity


Hamas supports Egypt plan for Palestine unity


Hamas gave its tentative support Tuesday to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the Islamist movement and the rival Fateh faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amid a looming constitutional crisis.


“We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some “modification” before it could be implemented.


“The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership.”


The two main Palestinian movements have been bitterly divided since Hamas drove Abbas’ security forces from the Gaza Strip in a week of fierce street clashes in June 2007, cleaving the territories into hostile rival camps.


Representatives from both sides have been invited to meet in Cairo on November 9 to discuss the Egyptian plan, which is aimed at restoring unity amid a looming constitutional crisis that threatens to deepen the internal rift.


Hamas has said that Abbas - who was elected in January 2005 - will cease to be president when his constitutionally mandated four-year term ends in January and that a new presidential election will have to be held.


Abbas loyalists, citing a separate clause in the constitution, say that presidential and parliamentary elections must be held at the same time, which would extend his term to 2010.
The Egyptian plan includes Abbas’ proposal for forming a “national consensus government” to lift the international blockade of Gaza and prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.


The plan also calls for the rehabilitation of independent Palestinian security forces with assistance from Arab states and the incorporation of Hamas and the hardline Islamic Jihad into the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Abbas, which is responsible for negotiations with Israel.



No hay comentarios: