Abbas to renew unity govt talks with Hamas PM

RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will meet Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya this week in an effort to revive stalled talks on a national unity government, officials said on Sunday.

"Abbas will travel to Gaza to meet Haniya tomorrow or after tomorrow to continue discussions on the national unity government," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

Abbas will also hold talks with leaders of other factions, Erekat added.

Haniya's political advisor Ahmed Yousuf confirmed the two leaders would meet later this week. "I am sure the meeting will take place when Abu Mazen (Abbas) arrives in Gaza," he said.

Abbas, who heads the moderate Fatah movement, said on Saturday that dialogue with Haniya's Hamas movement had "returned to zero" after the Islamist movement refused to recognise Israel.

Hamas had agreed with Abbas earlier this month to form a government together, raising speculation the movement may finally agree to Western demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and abide peace deals.

A Western freeze on aid to the Hamas-led government has caused a deep crisis in the cash-strapped Palestinian territories, exacerbated by a massive offensive Israel launched in Gaza in late June with the aim of recovering a soldier seized by militants.

On Friday, Hamas insisted a unity government would not recognise Israel and proposed a 10-year truce that was promptly rejected by the Jewish state.