PM Designate Advisor: "People’s Party and Third Way to Join Unity Cabinet"

Tuesday February 27, 2007 12:25 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Both the Palestinian People’s Party and the Third Way bloc will join the upcoming Palestinian unity cabinet, advisor of Palestinian PM designate Ahmad Yousef stated Tuesday.

“Leaders of both parliamentary blocs have finally agreed to join the expected unity government”, Yousef stated.

Yousef pointed out that all Palestinian factions, excluding the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Islamic Jihad, will join the new cabinet. The PM’s advisor stressed that the Makkah deal between Hamas and Fatah has laid the foundation for real power sharing based on effective power rotation between all factions concerned.

Ahead of the Haniya-Abbas meeting, advisor Yousef confirmed that both Palestinian leaders would deal with future Palestinian moves with respect to lifting the blockade that has been internationally imposed since last year’s elections.

Yousef believed that the upcoming government’s platform would focus on possible means to help Palestinians end the economic blockade. Rival Palestinan factions agreed in the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah earlier this month to form a unity government that meets the international, Arab and Palestinian legitimacies with regards to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The outgoing Hamas-led government has not yet ostensibly agreed to international demands concerning recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and accepting signed agreements, but rather voiced willingness to respect previous Palestinian obligations signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

gaza strip | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org