Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for Palestinian Hamas-led government,
announced on Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister
Ismail Haneya will meetin Gaza later in the day to discuss forming
a coalition cabinet.
"All factions agreed on the principle of forming a national
coalition government," said Hamad, denying that there were any
conditions presented by any of the political powers and
factions.
"As soon as we finish the case of the abducted soldier Gilad
Shalit and as soon as all the ministers are released from Israeli
jails, negotiations on forming a coalition government would begin
soon," the spokesman added.
Israel detained eight Palestinian ministers and 21 lawmakers as
well as the speaker of the Legislative Council (PLC) after three
Palestinian militant groups, including an armed wing of the ruling
Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), abducted Israeli Corporal
Gilad Shalit during a cross-border attack on June 25.
Hamad said that besides forming a coalition cabinet, "the
financial crisis, the abducted Israeli soldier and the differences
between the cabinet and the presidency" are also on the agenda
between the two leaders.
Abbas, who visited several Arab countries within the last few
days, returned Ramallah on Sunday and met with the European Union
Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana there. He is scheduled to arrive
in Gaza later Monday.
(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2006)
