Hamas Makes Step Toward Palestinian Unity Government
Ismail Haniya, the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, made the first step on Monday toward ending his group’s disputes with the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, and creating a unity government.
Mr. Haniya began talks with officials from the Central Elections Commission, a group appointed by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to begin registering voters in preparation for an election.
Hamas — among its many disputes with Mr. Abbas’s Fatah party and the Palestinian Authority — had banned the elections commission from operating in Gaza. That move had delayed a deal that Qatar brokered in February between Hamas and Fatah that envisioned the appointment of a transitional government that would rule both the West Bank and Gaza in preparation for elections.
Hanna Nasser, the head of the elections commission, told reporters after the meeting that Mr. Haniya had “blessed” its role in Gaza. “Now, the C.E.C. works in complete confidence,” he said.
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/middleeast/hamas-makes-step-toward-palestinian-unity-government.html
