Palestinian unity talks not at ''dead end''

Gaza, Sept 25: Hamas insisted today that talks to form a Palestinian unity government were not at a ''dead end'' and said the impasse could be resolved with President Mahmoud Abbas within two weeks.

Negotiations on forming a coalition that Palestinians hope will lift a Western aid embargo have foundered over whether the new government will recognise Israel.

Abbas wants a political platform honouring interim peace deals with the Jewish state, which he hopes will satisfy the West. Hamas has sought vague wording that would not contradict the Islamist group's charter calling for Israel's destruction.

The president planned to travel to the Gaza Strip tomorrow to meet Hamas leaders, an aide said.

Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the current Hamas-led government, said there was a good chance of forming a unity cabinet.

''We have not reached a dead end,'' Hamad, speaking in Hebrew, said on Israel's Army Radio. ''Perhaps if we start ... discussing the details today, cabinet seats, then maybe we will resolve all the problems within a week or two.'' Abbas said over the weekend that unity government talks had reached ''point zero'' and must start from scratch.

The West imposed the aid embargo when Hamas came to power in March to pressure the group to meet three conditions: recognise Israel, renounce violence and abide by interim peace deals.

Hamad reiterated that Hamas would not oppose Abbas holding peace negotiations with Israel. The movement has said any deals would need to be put to parliament, where Hamas has a majority after trouncing Abbas's Fatah movement in January elections.

The moderate Abbas has accused Hamas of reneging on an agreement reached earlier this month on the political programme for the unity government. Hamas has denied the allegations.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly last Thursday, Abbas said ''any future Palestinian government'' would honour all previous interim peace accords with Israel. Hamas later said it would not join any unity government that recognised Israel.

A total breakdown in talks could trigger fighting between rival armed factions loyal to Hamas and Fatah and worsen poverty that has deepened since the aid embargo took effect.

In a rare diplomatic move, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently held talks with a member of Saudi Arabia's royal family on West Asia peace and Iran's nuclear programme, Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said.

The mass circulation daily reported that some of its sources, whom it did not name, said Olmert met King Abdullah 10 days ago.

Other sources, the newspaper said, identified the Saudi as another senior member of the royal family.

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic ties.

Asked about the reported meeting, a spokeswoman for Olmert said: ''I don't know about it. I know nothing.'' The kingdom was a moving force behind a 2002 Arab peace initiative cited in a document that provides the basis for the proposed Palestinian unity government.

According to the newspaper, the peace plan was a main item on the agenda of the Israeli-Saudi talks.

REUTERS

Related Stories