A spokesman for the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced early on Monday that it had agreed with President Mahmoud Abbas on forming a national unity government on condition of keeping the right of choosing the prime minister.

Fawzi Barhoum told reporters in Gaza that the new national unity government "would be declared soon after a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya."

Barhoum said Hamas would have the right to name the prime minister of the new government.

"President Abbas and his Fatah movement agreed that it is the right of Hamas to name the prime minister of the national unity government since Hamas dominates the Legislative Council ( parliament)," said Barhoum.

But the Hamas spokesman declined to give the name of the new premier that would chosen by his movement.

Meanwhile, local media sources in the West Bank revealed that Hamas would again name Haneya as the prime minister of the new government that would replace the current Hamas-led one.

Since the movement was founded in 1987, Hamas participated for the first time in the legislative election in January and won around two-thirds of the 132-seat parliament. Rival Fatah movement earned 43 seats.

Hamas formed and led a government alone in late March. But the following boycott to the Hamas-led government by Israel, Europe and the United States has caused the worst ever political and economic crisis in the Palestinian territories.

Source: Xinhua