France calls Fatah, Hamas to keep calm

French government on Monday called Fatah and Hamas to keep calm and end violence in the Gaza Strip, referring to Sunday's clash between Hamas-controlled forces and security members loyal to President Abbas.

"We are quite concerned with the inter-Palenstinian conflicts, which have claimed 8 lives and injured more than 100 others in Gaza Strip this weekend, " Jean-Baptiste Mattei, spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry, said on Monday.

"Both sides should keep calm, and France supports President Hamas to form a national unity government," he added.

Tension between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya's ruling party Hamas had mounted after both Abbas and Haneya failed to form a Palestinian coalition government with national unity.

Nine Palestinians, mostly security members, were killed and some 130 wounded in the clashes that erupted in Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Calm has returned to the streets of the Gaza Strip on Monday after Haneya government withdrew Interior Ministry controlled troops and Abbas ordered the deployment of national security forces.

Source: Xinhua