[Jerusalem Post] Khaled Abu Toameh - Hamas and Fatah negotiators said on Thursday they are having difficulty reaching an agreement over the makeup and political program of a Palestinian unity government. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, reacted angrily to U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's demand that a new government accept the conditions of the Middle East Quartet, namely recognizing Israel's right to exist, renouncing terrorism and accepting all agreements between the PLO and Israel. "Who said that we are going to form a government just to appease the Americans?" Barhoum asked. "The main reason for schism in the Palestinian arena is U.S. meddling in our internal affairs." Hamas was also strongly opposed to the reappointment of outgoing PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad as head of the unity government, he said. Hamas spokesman Taher a-Nunu said, "Fatah wants a government that accepts the two-state solution, and this is something that Hamas can't and will never accept....We are prepared to accept a Palestinian state in the 1967 boundaries only as a temporary solution."
2009-03-13 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive