A spokesman for Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday said it was too early to speak about Hamas' acceptance of extending Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' term.
"The issue of elections and the extension of Abbas' term would be discussed later on the table of dialogue," said the spokesman, Ismail Radwan.
His remarks were made following reports that Hamas accepted an Egyptian plan for ending a political Palestinian crisis.
According to the reports, Hamas accepts to extend Abbas term ifAbbas' Fatah movement agreed with Hamas on forming "a government of national understanding" that would replace two "illegal" governments: deposed Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip and prime minister Salam Fayyad's caretaker government in the West Bank.
Abbas appointed the West Bank government after his forces lost control of the Gaza Strip for Hamas in deadly fighting in June 2007. Hamas won the parliamentary elections a year before it seized control of the Gaza Strip.
As Abbas' term ends in January 2009, Hamas, which dominates the parliament, said it will not recognize Abbas as a president after that day and will appoint the speaker of the parliament as a president for 60 days that should witness the holding of presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Egypt is working to launch a national Palestinian dialogue to end the rift between feuding Hamas and Fatah. Hamas has reportedly accepted Egypt's plan to reconcile with Fatah.
Source: Xinhua
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