Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas government's Prime Minister Ismail Haneya would announce within a few days an agreement on the formation of a national unity government, a senior Palestinian official said on Friday.

Speaking in condition of anonymity, the official told local news agency Ma'an that Abbas and Haneya had reached an agreement on the unity government during a telephone conversation on Thursday and would announce it in the coming few days.

"The new agreement will outline the establishment of a national unity government comprising of all political parties," the official revealed, adding that a meeting will soon be held for the final signing of the new agreement.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, also talked about the agreement on Friday, but denied that the visit of Hamas' politburo Khalid Mash'al to Egyptian capital of Cairo had any relation to the agreement.

The negotiations in Cairo between Mesha'al and the Egyptian officials "are to discuss the issue of the captured Israeli soldier,Gilad Shalit," Hamas spokesman in Gaza Fawzi Brhoom said.

On Thursday, European Union Chief of Foreign Policy Javier Solana also said that there would be good news for the Palestinian people soon, but failed to point out what the good news are.

Solana even pledged to double the EU's aids to the Palestinian people at a joint news conference held with Abbas in Ramallah.

Under the mediation of Egypt, talks for the unity government have continued almost four months between Abbas and Hamas, who has been rejecting the international demand of recognition of Israel.

The international community cut off direct aid to the Palestinians after Hamas took office in late March following its victory in legislative elections in January, pushing the Palestinians into dual plights of economy and politics.

Abbas has held talks with the ruling Hamas movement to form a coalition government in a bid to overcome political and financial crises facing the Hamas-led government.

However, the talks reached a stalemate over policy toward Israel.

Source: Xinhua