'Abbas to form new gov't without Hamas'

[Fozzledick]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to ask his prime minister within the coming week to form a new government without Hamas, a senior aide said Thursday.

Months of power-sharing talks between Fatah and Hamas have gone nowhere. "If they continue like this, it could last for years," aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said.

Formation of a new government enjoys "external support," he added, referring to Egypt, which has mediated the floundering power-sharing talks. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian officials.

Abed Rabbo said the next round of Egyptian-brokered contacts would take place on May 16 as planned, but Hamas shared his pessimism regarding their outcome.

"There are no signals on the horizon of a power-sharing deal with Fatah," said Mahmoud Ramahi, a Hamas leader.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710890666&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[mcctatas]

1. I need to get more sleep....

I was thinking "what the hell does ABBA have to do with Hamas"? :crazy:

[sabbat hunter]

6. ABBA

not just a pop-rock band any more.

[bemildred]

2. High-enriched uranium traces found in Egypt: IAEA

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog is investigating the discovery of traces of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear research site in Egypt, according to a restricted International Atomic Energy Agency report obtained by Reuters.

It did not specify whether the particles were weapons-grade -- enriched to a level high enough for use as fuel for an atom bomb, as opposed to fuel for some nuclear reactors. An IAEA official reached by Reuters said this was being checked.

The report, which described global IAEA work in 2008 to verify compliance with non-proliferation rules, said the highly enriched uranium (HEU) traces turned up in environmental swipe samples taken at the Inshas nuclear research site in 2007-08.

The HEU was discovered alongside particles of low-enriched uranium (LEU), the type used for nuclear power plant fuel.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050601426.html

[Fozzledick]

4. Egypt: Nuke program only for peaceful purposes

By BRENDA GAZZAR AND AP, CAIRO

Egyptian officials reiterated on Thursday that the country's nuclear activities are of a "peaceful nature," a day after it was reported that UN nuclear inspectors found traces of weapons-grade uranium in Egypt last year and in 2007.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki called the media reports "mistaken and outdated."

"The issue dates back to 2007 and the International Atomic Energy Agency always confirms in its reports that Egyptian nuclear activities are of a peaceful nature and that there are no pending issues related to Egyptian cooperation with the IAEA," he said in an statement.

The IAEA report on the matter, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, said Cairo believed the particles could have come into the country on containers with radioisotopes but that the IAEA was continuing its investigations because "it has not yet identified the source of the uranium particles."

Both high- (weapons-grade) and low-enriched uranium can be used to make radioisotopes, which are used in medicine and scientific research.

The report said traces of low-enriched uranium were found at the same site - Inshas, northeast of Cairo, where Egypt's two small research reactors are located.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1241719494996&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Not sayin' that I necessarily believe them , just sayin' they're sayin'...

You don't suppose they believe the real threat is from Iran and their proxies?

[bemildred]

5. Weapons grade is 90% U235, IIRC.

I don't see why one would go to that trouble for more pedestrian purposes, it's a lot of work.

I am skeptical that Hosni is enriching uranium, or buying it either, but you never know.

[excess_3]

3. surprise surprise surprise

another five years of the same BS

[azurnoir]

7. Fatah blocks Abbas' attempt to form new caretaker government

Bethlehem - Ma’an - The Fatah parliamentarian bloc stymied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to form a new government Tuesday after a late night meeting saw the bloc request a stay until the conclusion of the next round of unity talks in Cairo.

An emergency meeting in Ramallah of all Fatah parliamentarians demanded Abbas both postpone his controversial formation of a new unelected caretaker government for the West Bank and chose a new leader for that government, informed sources told Ma’an Wednesday morning.

Current Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was set to be appointed to the position a second time following his resignation from the post in March. He has remained in government at the request of Abbas until a transitional government is formed through unity talks with Hamas.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=37774