WEST BANK: Fatah rejects Israel's demands to shun new Palestinian unity government

Record ID: 561942

  • Title: WEST BANK: Fatah rejects Israel's demands to shun new Palestinian unity government
  • Date: 20th February 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SENIOR FATAH LEADER MOHAMMED DAHLAN SAYING: "Israel is absolutely refusing to deal with the government, that is understood and expected. At the same time it does not want for us to participate in this government, and we have refused this. We did not seek anyone's permission on whether to participate (in unity government) or not, and we will participate in this government and be represented by the Fatah movement, by the (Fatah) members who will be chosen by Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) and our colleagues in the Central Committee." MORE OF MEETING
  • Embargoed: 7th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA6A8XN2XQXP3RJG571HMVFOFH0
  • Story Text: Palestinian senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan held a news conference in the West Bank on Sunday (February 19) following a trilateral summit hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem.
    "Israel is absolutely refusing to deal with the government, that is understood and expected. At the same time it does not want for us to participate in this government, and we have refused this, senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan said.
    "we will participate in this government and be represented by the Fatah movement, by the (Fatah) members who will be chosen by Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) and our colleagues in the Central Committee", he added.
    The Israeli-Palestinian talks hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended with little sign of progress on reviving long-stalled peace negotiations beyond a vague promise to meet again.
    The meeting, attended by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, focused partly on a unity deal between the Fatah and Hamas groups that has calmed factional fighting but cast a new cloud over peace prospects.
    The Quartet is set to meet in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss the Abbas-Olmert meeting and how to deal with the new coalition forged in Mecca, Saudi Arabia this month.
    A boycott by the United States could prevent a resumption of direct aid from Western donors to the Palestinian Authority that was cut off after Hamas defeated Abbas's Fatah movement in an election a year ago.
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