Related: Hamas gives positive
response to national-unity gov't deal
Special report: Internal situation in
Palestine
RAMALLAH, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas confirmed Wednesday that the Prime Minister Ismail Haneya is the
one that would be asked to form the Palestinian coalition government.
Abbas made the confirmation at a news conference in
Ramallah following the meeting with his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczyski." It is
not a secret to hide that Ismail Haneya is the candidate to form the coalition
government," said Abbas.
"No date has been set yet for authorizing the prime
minister to form the government ... it would be soon," Abbas added.
Kaczyski, for his part, said that "we understand the
suffering of the Palestinian people and we see that peace is the only way to
improve their living conditions."
"My country welcomes the agreement to form a
coalition government. It is a great opportunity," said the Polish president.
However, Abbas underlined that the national unity
government "should respect the agreements that were signed between the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel."
"Respecting the signed agreements would help find an
overall political plan based on the Arab and international peace initiatives and
resolutions," he told the reporters.
Earlier, Abbas had repeated that one of his
conditions to form a coalition government is that Hamas has to recognize the
Arab peace initiative, which was issued in an Arab Summit held in Beirut in 2002
and clearly recognized the state of Israel.
On Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in
Gaza that his movement would never recognize the Jewish state, noting that even
if a coalition government is formed, there would be no recognition of
Israel.
Abbas also expressed the Palestinians' readiness "to
launch serious negotiations with Israel in order to reach a just and
comprehensive peace and end the occupation and the suffering of the Palestinian
people." Enditem
