Fatah, Hamas to Form Palestinian Unity Gov’t

The agreement was reached during a meeting late Tuesday between Fatah's official in charge of reconciliation affairs, Azzam al-Ahmad, and his Hamas counterpart Moussa Abu Marzuq, in Cairo, Agence France Presse said.
 
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zohri said the two groups had decided to finalize all reconciliation issues, including that of the government and legislative and presidential elections.
 
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah announced the start of talks on forming a unity government in April, after his Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who is acting as cabinet caretaker, resigned.
 
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, never recognized Fayyad's authority as Palestinian premier, continuing instead to recognize its own PM Ismail Haniya.
 
The two movements signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo in 2011, pledging to set up an interim consensus government of independents that would pave the way for legislative and presidential elections within 12 months.
 
But implementation of the accord stalled over the make-up of the interim government, and a February 2012 deal signed by Abbas and Meshaal in Doha intended to overcome outstanding differences was opposed by Hamas members in Gaza.