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Palestinian PM submits resignation making way for unity govt
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned from his post Saturday to pave the way for the formation of a national unity government and reconciliation with Hamas. "Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has submitted his resignation from the government of president Mahmud Abbas.But shortly after the prime minister's brief written statement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah told reporters he had asked Fayyad to "continue with his work until we see the results" of Egyptian-sponsored talks between the rivals over forming a new unity government. Fayyad, a politically independent former World Bank economist, was appointed prime minister following the Hamas movement's takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, which cleaved the Palestinians into two hostile camps. The two sides met with other Palestinian factions in Cairo on Feb. 26 to launch a reconciliation process aimed at forming a national unity government in the wake of Israel's massive offensive against Gaza at the turn of the year. They agreed to form five committees to oversee the creation of a government that would supervise Gaza reconstruction efforts and prepare for fresh presidential and parliamentary elections in January 2010. "We consider that the positive climate seen in the first round of dialogue offers an opportunity that has to be exploited to put an end to divisions and as a basis on which to reach unity and reconciliation," Fayyad's office stated. However the European Union and the United States continue to blacklist Hamas as a terrorist organization and in the past have boycotted any Palestinian government that includes the group. Posted by: Fred 2009-03-08 |
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