GAZA: Palestinian Prime Minister says United States should reconsider policies toward new unity government

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas appealed to faction leaders on Friday (March 2) to finish choosing ministers for a unity government, warning further delay could embolden opponents of the deal. Haniyeh had asked President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction and other groups to submit their choices by Friday, ahead of a planned meeting with Abbas in the Gaza Strip. But Fatah and Hamas officials said they needed more time for deliberations. The final make-up of the new government may not be settled for another week, a Hamas official said. Haniyeh said many European countries were supportive of the unity deal and lashed out at the United States and Israel for objecting to the pact. "As long as there is a progressive position in the European Union (towards dealing with the Palestinian unity government), and reconsidering its previous positions, I hope that the U.S. administration will also reconsider its policies because there is a Palestinian consensus and will. Therefore the American administration must respect this consensus and will," Haniyeh told reporters as he entered another round of negotiations on Friday evening. Hamas and Fatah have yet to publicly unveil their cabinet choices, though both agreed the incoming finance minister would be Salam Fayyad, a U.S.-educated economist with close ties to the Bush government. Friday evening Haniyeh met with Bassam Al-Salhi, leader of the Palestinian People's Party to discuss the new government. After that meeting Azzam Al Ahmed, head of Fatah's bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council arrived for discussions. A Hamas source said the group's list of candidates was almost ready but that Hamas would await decisions by the other factions. A Fatah spokesman said final consultations on his faction's list would be concluded when Abbas arrives in Gaza.

ITN Source | March 3, 2007

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