2ND Abbas gives unity government talks two more weeks

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Wednesday October 4, 2006

Jerusalem- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas threatened Wednesday that he would give the talks on forming a unity government between his opposition Fatah and the ruling Hamas movement two more weeks, after which he may resort to "other options." He was hinting at dissolving the current, Hamas-led Palestinian cabinet, whose refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce violence have left the Palestinian Authority mired in international isolation and a severe financial crisis.

"Any government that will be formed must be fully committed to ... all agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, he told a news conference with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"If this doesn't happen, all options are open, except one which I will never except, the option of civil war," he said.

He was referring to two days of violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas Sunday and Monday, which left at least 11 Palestinians dead - the worst since Hamas won legislative elections in January and formed a government six months ago.

Rice arrived in the region to support Abbas in his efforts to form a new, more moderate government that would allow a renewal of peace talks with Israel.

Much of her talks with Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Tuesday, she said, focused on how to support Abbas and "create conditions in which the Palestinian people can be served by a government able to meet the needs of the people and the Quartet conditions."

Abbas said the talks with Hamas had broken down and that "as of this moment, there are no indications of a return to the dialogue."

If Abbas used his presidential powers to dismiss the Hamas government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and ask someone else to form a new cabinet, such a government would still have to be approved by the Hamas-dominated parliament.

Officials close to Abbas and Haniya have said in recent days that another compromise option could be a government of "technocrats," or professionals who may be linked to, but are not formal members of either Fatah or Hamas.

Such a government would then be able to adopt a less radical stance toward Israel, without Hamas having to do so.

Abbas said his talks with Rice also focused on the issue of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and an Israeli corporal held captive in Gaza, Israeli closures of crossing points into Gaza and the West Bank and the "deteriorating security conditions" in the Palestinian areas.

Rice said she was "very concerned" about the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian areas and would ask Israel to improve them by easing movement in and access to the West Bank and Gaza.

"I will of course see what I can do that some of those crossings will open longer hours and with greater frequency," said Rice, who was due to have dinner in the evening with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Earlier in Ramallah, Abbas told a news conference with Bahrain Foreign Minister Khaled Ahmed al-Khalifeh that that time for the formation of a unity government was running out.

The talks, he said, would have to restart from scratch.

He accused Hamas of having retracted a pledge made to him last month to endorse a moderate government programme, which expressed acceptance of past interim peace agreements, and thereby indirect recognition of Israel's right to exist.

"This dialogue now does not exist. We had an agreement on September 11 and it was violated," said Abbas.

A senior Hamas leader, for his part, said Rice was "unwelcome" in the Palestinian areas and said the movement would remain "firm" in its position.

Rice's visit to the West Bank and Israel was "a US attempt to support Israel, not to revive the stalled Middle East peace process as she claims," Ismail Radwan told reporters in Gaza.

Al-Khalifeh warned that the Palestinian areas were on the "brink of total collapse" following the breakdown of talks between Fatah and Hamas and the eruption of armed clashes between supporters of the two rival movements in the past days.

On Wednesday morning, masked gunmen shot dead a local Hamas leader near the northern West Bank town of Qalqiliya, but it was not immediately clear whether he was the 12th victim of the Fatah-Hamas infighting, or was killed by Israeli undercover agents.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency