Abbas speaks in Jerusalem with U.S. Consul General Jacob Walles about his plan. (AP)
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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: October 8, 2006 |
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to present the Hamas-led Cabinet with an ultimatum in the coming days to accept an agreement for a coalition government or head to early elections, an Abbas aide said Sunday.
The Hamas-led government has been internationally ostracized for its refusal to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past agreements with the Jewish state. Western and Israeli economic sanctions have left the government unable to pay its 165,000 workers full salaries since March, exacerbating an already dire economic crisis and fomenting domestic unrest.
Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party, was elected separately last year and has been at odds with Hamas since the violent Islamic group won January parliamentary elections.
The two sides have failed in their recent efforts to form a national unity government, with Hamas resisting pressure to moderate its views and give in to the Western demands.
In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week, Abbas said he would travel to the Gaza Strip in the coming days for last-ditch talks on forming a joint government with Hamas, an Abbas aide said. If Hamas does not agree by the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- in two weeks -- then he will dissolve the Cabinet, according to the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. |
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