Special report: Mideast peace conference    

    RAMALLAH, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Public census is about to finish in West Bank while it has yet to start in the Hamas-controlled Gaza city, director of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said on Thursday.

    "More than half of the field works were accomplished in the West Bank but in Gaza, the offices of the PCBS are still closed and more than 2500 field workers are still in their houses waiting the work to resume," said PCBS director Lu'ai Shabana.

    Earlier, Hamas administration in Gaza attributed the suspension of the census to the rejection of the field workers to deal with the deposed Hamas government. Hamas took over the territory by force in June.

    Shabana said that a number of "national personalities" are now mediating between Hamas government and the PCBS in order to resume the counting process. He added the PCBS would carry on the census when it obtains guarantees that Hamas will not intervene in the PCBS work.

    The Palestinian law stipulates that a public census must be carried out in Gaza Strip and West Bank every 10 years. The last public survey was held in 1997.