Hamas gave its tentative support on Tuesday to an Egyptian plan to reconcile with the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas amid a looming constitutional crisis. "We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some "modification" before it could be implemented.
"The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership."
Representatives from both sides have been invited to meet in Cairo on November 9 to discuss the Egyptian plan. According to Hamas, Abbas, who was elected in January 2005, will cease to be president when his constitutionally mandated four-year term ends in January and that a new presidential election will have to be held.
The Egyptian plan includes Abbas' proposal for forming a "national consensus government" to lift the international blockade of Gaza Strip and prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections. The plan also calls for the rehabilitation of independent Palestinian security forces with assistance from Arab states and the incorporation of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad into the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Abbas.
