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PLO political chief calls for national unity through reactivation of PLO
Ma'an The Tunis-based head of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Political Department, Farouk Al-Qaddoumi, called for the restoration of Palestinian unity through reactivation of the PLO on Monday.
| The PLO, recognized in 1974 as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the UN, has been largely superseded by the Palestinian Authority. |
Speaking to the Emerati newspaper Al-Khalij (The Gulf), Al-Qaddoumi said resolving the division in Palestinian society that has existed since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip in June would require putting pressure on both Hamas and Fatah. Al-Qaddoumi said that he has met in recent days with the leaders of several Palestinian factions, and that he expects the leaders of these groups to announce a new initiative for Palestinian unity based on restoration of the PLO in the coming days. He did not specify which factions were involved in the meetings. Al-Qaddoumi called for both factions to return to the "Cairo Agreement" that established the Palestinian government of 2006, and the 2007 "prisoners' letter" calling for unity between Hamas and Fatah.
Hamas, though not a member of the PLO, has tacitly accepted the legitimacy of some of the PLO's agreements and institutions in previous negotiations with Fatah in 2006 and 2007. The PLO, recognized in 1974 as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the UN, has been largely superseded by the Palestinian Authority, created by the Olso Accords of the 1990s.
Posted by: Fred 2007-12-11 |
