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Hamas official calls for forming interim government

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-01 22:19

GAZA  -- A senior official of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Tuesday called for forming an interim Palestinian government right after launching a comprehensive national dialogue among the Palestinian factions.

Ghazi Hamad told a conference held in Gaza to encourage the dialogue that a ministry for national dialogue should be part of the interim government that has to be formed after launching the dialogue among all political factions.

In early June, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called for launching a comprehensive dialogue and ending the status of split among the West Bank controlled by Fatah movement and Gaza controlled by Hamas.

Hamas leaders welcomed Abbas' call for resuming the dialogue and said they are ready for dialogue wherever and whenever.

"I want to drag your attention that the crisis into the Palestinian society is really deep and the Palestinian people are clearly suffering from the disputes and disagreements between the Palestinian factions," said Hamad.

Hamas movement won in the election held in the Palestinian territories in 2006, and formed a first ever government that lasted for several months, then another national unity government was formed in March last year.

Abbas deposed the national unity government headed by Prime Minister Ismail Haneya after the movement took control of the Gaza Strip last June and ousted Abbas security forces.

Hamad called for forming a committee to immediately start a comprehensive dialogue, adding that the committee has to be compressed of the five major political factions including Fatah and Hamas to end all current disputes.