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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: September 11, 2006 |
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Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Monday he would keep his post in a coalition government between his militantly anti-Israel Hamas group and the moderate Fatah Party, indicating progress in the most recent round of talks.
Haniyeh met with President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival Fatah Party on Sunday to try to nail down a coalition agreement. Such a government would take a softer stand on Israel and could help to alleviate debilitating international sanctions on the Palestinian government that have caused widespread hardship in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
But Haniyeh did not say whether the sides had reached agreement on three key issues: renouncing violence, recognizing Israel and accepting past Israeli-Palestinian peace deals. The international community, headed by the United States, has said it would not recognize any Hamas-led government until it accepted the three demands, which Hamas has rejected.
"We have gone a long way and expect within the next few days to create a constitutional mechanism that allows for a national unity government," Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza, without elaborating.
The Islamic Hamas group swept a Palestinian parliamentary election in January. But it has been almost impossible for Hamas to get its government moving due to the sanctions, which have made it unable to pay 165,000 state workers since taking office in March. |
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