MIDDLE EAST: Hamas has dismissed a call by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas for the formation of a temporary government of technocrats until agreement can be reached on a national unity cabinet. Michael Jansen reports.
Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad yesterday said an interim government "is not the order of the day".
Instead, "we want a government that includes both politicians and technocrats" and added that there was a good possibility of reaching a consensus on a national unity cabinet balanced between such figures.
Salah Bardawil, head of Hamas's parliamentary bloc, predicted that the Egyptian initiative involving the creation of a government of technocrats and politicians and the release of an Israeli soldier captured on the Gaza border in June could reach fruition soon.
According to the London-based Arabic daily al-Hayat, such a government would be limited to a year while new elections were prepared for both parliament and president.
Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who met Hamas politburo head Khaled Mishaal in Damascus, advised that Hamas would be able to control the government through parliament where the movement has a firm majority.
However, Hamas is unlikely to agree to anything less than a full-term national unity government.
A source involved in negotiations between Hamas and Fatah said Hamas "is not ready to accept a government of technocrats or to quit power".
The movement is showing flexibility in response to "pressure from the street" which Hamas seeks to contain.
Mr Abbas put forward the suggestion of a temporary cabinet on Tuesday with the aim of breaking the impasse between Hamas and the quartet comprising the United Nations, the United States, the EU and Russia over the fundamentalist party's refusal to recognise Israel.
If a temporary cabinet were to be formed, international donors, which have cut off funding to the Palestinian Authority since March, would be in a position to resume aid to the Palestinian government, easing the crisis in the Palestinian territories.