Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    GAZA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement on Monday revealed its reservations on an Egyptian draft for ending a deepening political crisis between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

    The draft envisions a solution by calling for forming a unity government and holding early elections. It aims to end the consequences of Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and the ensuing split between Gaza and West Bank where Abbas consolidated his rule.

    Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said the Egyptian paper "gives Abbas more authority and extends his term" which ends in January 2009.

    "The draft says the presidential elections should be held at the same time with the parliamentary elections and this automatically extends Abbas' term," he said.

    Abu Zuhri said Hamas raised this reservation because it has been agreed that the issue of Abbas' term should be settled through one of the special committees that will be formed after Egypt hosts a national Palestinian dialogue on Nov. 9.

    Egypt drafted the agenda after a series of talks with most of the Palestinian factions. But Hamas said that the stances of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) factions, which are closer to Fatah than to Hamas, were dominant in the Egyptian document.

    Abu Zuhri added that Hamas also rejects an article authorizing the PLO to determine the Palestinian people's higher causes. Hamas wants the PLO to be given more authorization when Hamas and the Islamic Jihad factions join the PLO.

    Hamas is also disappointed because Egypt did not invite the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a faction affiliated with Hamas, to the dialogue.

    Other reservations, according to Abu Zuhri, involved the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

    He said that Hamas rejected an article authorizing Abbas to continue the negotiations with Israel.