Abbas holds key talks with Hamas

[bemildred]

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has agreed that Hamas will take control of Palestinian security forces after it assumes power.

Abbas met Hamas leaders on Saturday night for the first time since the group routed his long-ruling Fatah in 25 January, parliamentary elections.

---

Abbas, who says he plans to stay on as president, has said he intends to ask the new cabinet to honour the Palestinian Authority's previous deals with Israel.

---

Hamas, a novice to national politics, has invited Fatah to join a governing coalition, but has not received an official answer, Haniyeh said.

Al Jazeera

[bemildred]

1. New Palestinian Parliament to Convene on Febr.16

Gaza. Hamas leaders and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to convene the new parliament on February 16, the online edition of Al Jazeera TV reported. It was the first meeting of Abbas with members of the radical Islamic movement Hamas, which won the parliamentary vote on January 25th. Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said a delegation of the movement would make a trip around a number of Arab and Muslim states to seek a political and material support. The trip starts from Egypt on Sunday.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=138&newsid=82061&ch=0&datte=2006-02-05

[bemildred]

2. Islamic Jihad will not join cabinet

Gaza, Feb. 5 - The Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad announced on Sunday that it would not join the next Palestinian cabinet to be formed by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Khaled al-Batch, Jihad prominent leader in Gaza, told reporters that the group rejected any proposal to participate in the government since it has chosen armed struggle against the Israeli occupation.

"Under any circumstances, the Islamic Jihad will continue its armed struggle," al-Batch said, re-asserting that the group would not renew a months-long de facto truce with Israel which expired by the end of 2005.

http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=207114&n=39

[bemildred]

3. Abbas tells Israel: I'll still handle peace negotiations

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told Israel recently that he will continue to be responsible for diplomatic contacts with Jerusalem despite Hamas' victory in the PA's parliamentary elections, and requested that Israel continue this dialogue rather than ignoring him as "irrelevant." Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert responded that in that case, Israel will continue talking with Abbas for the time being.

Abbas' message was delivered in several conversations between his emissaries and Israeli officials in recent days. In these conversations, his envoys stressed that the PLO, and not the PA, is the body that has signed all previous agreements with Israel and is officially responsible for conducting diplomatic negotiations. Since Abbas is also chairman of the PLO, he intends to continue negotiating with Israel in this capacity.

Abbas also said that he intends to try to regain control over both the PA's security services and its budget. Both responsibilities were taken away from Abbas's predecessor, Yasser Arafat, and transferred to other Palestinian officials under pressure from Israel and the United States.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/679073.html