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Hamas shows flexibility to succeed dialogue: official

Israel Materials 28 April 2009 16:11 (UTC +04:00)

A senior Islamic Hamas official Tuesday said his movement shows a big flexibility towards all the options to succeed the ongoing inter-Palestinian reconciliation dialogue in Cairo, Xinhua reported.

Mushir el-Masri, a Gaza Hamas lawmaker said in a statement sent to reporters that his movement opposes "the conditions set by the international Quartet which includes the recognition of Israel and laying down resistance."

El-Masri added that Hamas "will listen carefully to all suggestions and ideas that might end the current rift, but it will severely reject any new government to be formed without consultations with Hamas."

Leaders of rival Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement are holding a fourth round of dialogue in Cairo, aiming at overcoming their differences, mainly the one related to forming a new unity government.

"A government without the parliament's confidence is illegal. Talking about a new government headed by Salam Fayyad, if the dialogue fails, is a strong slap to the Egyptian efforts that aim at accomplishing the national dialogue," he said.

Hamas movement took control of the Gaza Strip by force in the summer of 2007, and now rules the enclave. It routed President Abbas security forces and cracked down on his Fatah movement's members and associations.

Palestinian media has earlier reported that there is a serious possibility to forming a broader government headed by Fayyad if the national dialogue in Egypt fails.

Senior Palestinian sources revealed in conditions of anonymity that a government will be announced before Abbas heads for talks in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama on May 28.

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