Haniyya calls for early elections for the Palestinian National Council

Sunday August 19, 2007 01:35 by IMEMC Staff

Ismail Haniyya, the Palestinian Prime Minister of the Palestinian government which was dissolved by president Mahmoud Abbas, but still performing his duties in the Gaza Strip, stated on Saturday that Hamas recognizes the legitimacy of Abbas as a president and called for early elections for the Palestinian National Council (PNC).

Ismail Haniyya

The statements of Haniyya came during an interview with several Arab and international media outlets in Gaza.

Haniyya said that his government recognizes Abbas as the president of the Palestinian National Authority but does not recognize his decrees which, according to Haniyya, violate the constitution.

He reiterated the position of Hamas in rejecting the calls of Abbas to hold early presidential and legislative elections in order to end the current crisis.

Haniyya also said that he does not believe that Abbas will hold these elections only in the West Bank, and stated that holding these elections require two conditions; national consensus and a constitutional background, “but both do not exist tight now”, he added.

He stated that Hamas will not declare the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza without the West Bank and said that Hamas will not agree to a state which does not include all of the Palestinian territories.

Commenting on negotiations with Israel, Haniyya said that in the current stage there will be no talks with Israel, and that nobody is now authorized to do so.

“Any talks with Israel in this stage will include giving away the right of return of the Palestinian refugees, and giving away our national standards”, Haniyya said, “We will not authorize any person to do so”.

He denied reports which claimed that his government is holding secret talks with Israel, but said that ministers in his government “have no problem in meeting with Israeli government ministers if this will facilitate the daily lives of the Palestinian residents”.

Haniyya also slammed that Palestinian leadership in Ramallah and said that they are rushing to hold talks with Israel while the Israeli government wants to impose its own agenda.

Responding to a question regarding “the existence of Al Qaida in the Gaza Strip, Haniyya said that there is no Qaida in Gaza, and that Hamas will never support the Qaida network.

He said that such reports are false and described them as acts of incitement against the Gaza Strip in order to give Israel a chance to continue its military offensive and carry a large scale invasion into the Gaza Strip.  

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