Abbas gives Hamas ten-day ultimatum to prepare for unity gov't talks: report

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given the ruling Hamas movement ten days to resume the talks on forming a national unity government, an Arabic newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"Abbas has told Hamas, via third party, that he accepts the resumption of dialogue from the point it has stopped at but only for a period between a week and ten days," a source at Abbas' office told London-based Alhayat newspaper on condition of anonymity.

The daily added that the higher committee of Palestinian factions had begun preparations to resume talks between Hamas and Fatah on forming a national unity government.

But Hamas has denied the report. "We heard this news through the media and Mr. President did not inform us officially," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told reporters in Gaza.

As western nations isolate the Hamas-led government that rejects to recognize Israel, the Palestinians held months of internal talks to form a coalition government acceptable to the international community, but the talks collapsed in late November.

Abbas then called for early elections earlier this month, which prompted factional fighting between Abbas' Fatah movement and the ruling Hamas, mainly in Gaza City. At least 17 people have been killed in the clashes.

Source: Xinhua