Abbas aid meets Hamas in Syria to solve crisis

DAMASCUS, Sep 18 (Reuters) An envoy of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met exiled Palestinian leaders today to try to resolve a crisis over forming a new national unity government the West could do business with.

Ahmad Qurei denied reports that Abbas had frozen talks on the unity government with the rival Hamas movement over its refusal to accept peace deals with Israel concluded by his Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Hanyieh of Hamas agreed a week ago to form a coalition government to present a new political face to the world after the West cut off direct funding when it took office in March.

''The negotiations are not frozen,'' Qurei said after meeting with Moussa Abu Marzouk, a high level Hamas member, and leaders of other Palestinian groups in Damascus.

''All Palestinian groups realise that a national unity government is the only way out of the crisis ...,'' Qurei, a former prime minister, told reporters.

Qurei met yesterday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his deputy Farouq al-Shara. Syria has an interest in not seeing Hamas weakened.

The Baathist government, historically at odds with Fatah, hosts exiled members of Hamas, including the movement's leader Khaled Meshaal.

Abu Marzouk, who is Meshaal's deputy, said: ''Dialogue goes on to overcome the political dispute. Hamas will look at all the agreements singed by the PLO with respect and responsibility.'' Abu Marzouk said Hamas was considering ways to end another impasse with Abbas over its refusal to sign on to an Arab peace initiative agreed in Beirut in 2002, offering peace with Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied since the 1967 West Asia war.

Hamas refuses to recognise Israel and end its armed struggle, saying such moves would be futile as long as Israel shows no sign of relinquishing all occupied land and keeps expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The Islamist movement defeated Abbas' Fatah faction in January's Palestinian elections and formed a government in March that has been under Western sanctions, contributing to an economic crisis in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Washington, Israeli's chief ally, says any government in the works must accept to recognise the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept peace accords.

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