Special report: Hamas forming Palestinian govt

   RAMALLAH, March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Fatah lawmakers walked out of the Palestinian parliament dominated by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Monday in protest against Hamas' attempt to annul enhanced power given by the previous legislature to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

   Fatah lawmakers staged the walkout while the Hamas-led Palestinian parliament convened for the first time since its inauguration on Feb. 18, which signalled Hamas' official takeover of the legislature previously dominated by Fatah.

   Fatah's parliamentary head Azzam al-Ahmed announced that Fatah legislators decided to quit the parliament and would not return unless all the differences with Hamas had been resolved.

   Hamas lawmakers were trying to annul decisions by the previous Fatah-led parliament to grant additional power to President Abbas, who now leads Fatah.

   Defeated by Hamas in the Jan. 25 Palestinian legislative elections, the long dominant Fatah movement now only maintains 45 seats in the 132-member parliament while Hamas holds 74 seats. Enditem