A Hamas leader on Tuesday said his movement will not recognize or deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after his term ends on Jan. 9, 2009.
Said Siam, interior minister of the deposed Hamas government also said that Hamas' participation in presidential elections "was a matter that needs to be discussed inside the movement."
According to the law, the speaker of the parliament, who happens to be from Hamas, holds the Palestinian presidency when the president's term ends until the elections are staged.
But officials loyal to Abbas hinted that the president will stay in office until the end of the parliament's term in 2010.
The argument reflects the political split between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah. In June 2007, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and took over the Gaza Strip. Abbas then established a Western-backed administration in West Bank while Hamas rules the enclave ever since.
On solving the current crisis, Siam said that Hamas was ready for dialogue with Abbas who recently urged the Islamic movement for talks.
While calling on Abbas "to restore the Palestinian unity before the end of his term," Siam blamed Abbas for the delay of a national dialogue and said he was "not serious to engage in the inter-Palestinian dialogue."
Source:Xinhua
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