Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will officially charge Hamas' candidate for prime minister Ismail Haneya on Tuesday with forming a new Palestinian government, a Hamas official said after a meeting between Abbas and the militant group leaders here on Monday night.

Mahmoud Zahar told reporters that Abbas was informed of Hamas decision to nominate Haneya, a moderate Hamas leader based in Gaza, as Hamas choice for Palestinian prime minister after a Hamas- dominated parliament was sworn in on Saturday.

"We had officially informed President Abbas that Ismail Haneya had been officially chosen by Hamas movement to form the new government," said Zahar.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday) evening President Abbas would present Haneya with an official letter of appointment asking him to start the process of forming the new Palestinian cabinet," Zahar added.

Zahar said he believed that the new cabinet would be formed within three weeks as required by the Palestinian law.

"We will be able to form the new cabinet soon," he said, adding that Hamas has two extra weeks even if the movement fails to form the cabinet within the legal period.

"Hamas would continue contacts and negotiations with other factions to achieves a real political partnership," he said, referring to Hamas goal of forming a coalition government.

When asked how Hamas would respond to the Israeli suspension of transfer of tax payment to the Palestinian National Authority, Zahar said that the Hamas leaders had called on Arab and Islamic countries to provide financial assistance to help the Palestinians overcome the crisis.

Israel, considering Hamas as terrorist organization, ruled out contact with Hamas-led government and urged the international community to withhold aid to the PNA except for humanitarian purposes unless Hamas renounces violence and drops its commitment to the destruction of Israel.

Hamas had the mandate to form the new cabinet after it swept the Jan. 25 parliamentary elections by securing 74 seats of the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

Four Hamas leaders attending the two-hour meeting at Abbas' office in Gaza City are Zahar, Haneya, Sa'eed Seyam and Nizar Rayan.

Source: Xinhua