Qatar fails to bridge gaps among Palestinian factions

Qatar's latest efforts by its foreign minister's visit to Gaza have failed to bridge gaps among Palestinian groups over the formation of a proposed new national unity government.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Hamas-led Palestinian government confirmed that it didn't agree with Qatar on two articles of its six-point initiative to settle differences among the Palestinians.

Ghazi Hamad, spokesman of the Hamas-led government, told a news conference in Gaza City that the issue of "renouncing terrorism" and accepting two-state solution were not agreed upon during the night-long meeting with visiting Qatari foreign minister.

Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad Ben Jassem al-Thani arrived in Gaza with a difficult task since the issue has been subject to talks between Palestinian factions and all efforts in the past months have failed, Hussein al-Sheikh from the Fatah movement told reporters.

The Qatari foreign minister has failed in convincing the governing Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to form a new broader government and accept a six-point Qatari plan, which was aimed at getting international recognition for the new government without harming the Palestinian principals, Al-Sheikh said.

Al-Sheikh added that big gaps and the strictness of some factions behind their factional agenda have blocked Arab mediation efforts and initiatives related to settling the conflict in the Palestinian territories.

He called implicitly on the ruling Hamas to distinguish between the policy of the government and the policy of the party.

"The exit could be achieved by forming a national unity government, but if we failed, we have to call early elections or form an interim, technocrat government," al-Sheikh said.

Meanwhile, Yasser Abed Rabbo of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) said the Hamas-led government and President Mahmoud Abbas still have differences on basic issues.

The Qatari plan was the final effort that, if failed, would be altered with early elections, he told reporters Tuesday morning after the Qatari foreign minister's marathon talks with Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas.

"It seems we are not close to reach any deal in the shadow of last night talks," Abed Rabbo said.

For their part, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) expressed deep sorry for the failure of the Qatari foreign minister's visit and his meetings with Hamas leaders and President Abbas.

Qais Abdel Karim of the DFLP added, however, that the door was still open for more talks after the factions agreed on extending talks, but he stressed the talks should come up with a deal before a period of two weeks.

Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa al-Barghouti, from the National Initiative party, also agreed with Abdel Karim, saying an agreement should be reached as soon as possible to cut the way before Israel which tries "to push us to abyss".

Earlier, Palestinian sources revealed the text of the Qatari initiative, which consists of six points:

-- The new Palestinian national unity government has to express commitments to the international legitimate resolutions.

-- The new Palestinian national unity government should be committed to the agreements that Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed with Israel.

-- To guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 by Israel alongside the state of Israel as it has been mentioned in the speech of U.S. President George W. Bush.

-- To agree on ending all types and shapes of violence between Israel and the Palestinians mutually and at the same time.

-- Activating the PLO according to March 17, 2005 national dialogue agreement reached in Cairo.

-- PLO and the president of Palestinian National Authority (PNA) are in charge of the political file including the peace negotiations.

Expressing his disappointment over Hamas' rejection to two out of the six points in the initiative, visiting Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Ben Jassem al-Thani told reporters in Gaza at predawn on Tuesday that "there are two points that we had failed to agree upon. I hope that we would agree upon in the nearest future, but I can say that these two points are still an obstacle."

He added that "the two points were not an obstacle for the Palestinians. They are an obstacle for other international parties. "

"There are other international parties that need to bless this in order to end the siege imposed on the Palestinians," said Sheikh Hamad.

Source: Xinhua