RAMALLAH
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call Sunday from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during which they discussed the Palestinian unity government and the future of the Middle East peace process.
Abbas said the unity government will be formed of independents and will abide by his political program, according to the official Wafa news agency.
"The main task of the government is to prepare for new election," Abbas said.
In late April, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, which rules the occupied West Bank, hammered out a reconciliation deal with a view to ending the rifts that have marred their relations since 2007.
The deal stipulates the formation of a national unity government to serve until legislative and presidential polls can be held in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators – which resumed in Washington last July after a nearly three-year hiatus – collapsed in April.
The talks hit a snag one month earlier after Israel refused to release 26 Palestinian prisoners despite earlier pledges to do so. Abbas retaliated by formally applying for Palestinian membership in 15 U.N. conventions and agencies.
Israel has since announced a raft of punitive measures to be taken against the Palestinians after Abbas' Fatah movement after signing the reconciliation deal with Hamas.
By Qais Abu Samra
http://www.aa.com.tr/en
