France welcomes Palestinian unity government deal

PARIS, Feb 9 (Reuters) French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy today said he supported a deal between rival Palestinian factions to form a unity government.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh reached the deal yesterday at crisis talks in Mecca after internecine fighting that has killed more than 90 Palestinians since December.

''I salute the inter-Palestinian agreement reached yesterday in Mecca on the creation of a national unity government,'' Douste-Blazy said in a statement.

''The inclusion in this government's programme of respecting international resolutions and agreements signed by the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) constitutes a step in the right direction towards full adherence to the international community's demands,'' he added.

Those demands included in particular recognising Israel, Douste-Blazy said, but the agreement read out yesterday made no mention of that.

''Under these conditions, we consider that the creation of the new government on the basis of this programme should be encouraged and supported by the international community,'' he added.

Reuters SY RN1531