RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) ? Fatah will seek to keep on prime minister Salam Fayyad to head a Palestinian unity government, an official said on Sunday, in a nomination immediately rejected by Hamas.
The central committee of Fatah, headed by president Mahmud Abbas, agreed at a Saturday night meeting to throw their support behind Fayyad, a committee member told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The decision ends weeks of speculation about whether the movement would push for Fayyad to head the transitional government of independents mandated by a unity deal which Hamas and Fatah signed last month.
"During a meeting last night at the presidential headquarters, we decided to nominate Salam Fayyad to head the Palestinian government," the central committee member said.
Hamas had already hinted it would not support a Fayyad candidacy, saying early on that it wanted a prime minister from the Gaza Strip, whereas Fayyad was born in the West Bank.
And on Sunday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri downplayed the nomination, warning that his movement had made its opposition clear.
"Hamas informed Fatah during the last meeting of its rejection of the choice of Salam Fayyad to head the new government," Zuhri told AFP.
"The Fatah central committee's nomination of Salam Fayyad to head the government is a Fatah nomination and any head of the new government must be chosen by consensus and not, of course, by one of the parties."
In a statement released by Hamas, senior official Salah Bardawil reiterated that position.
"It is certain that we will not accept Fayyad either as the head of the government or as a minister in that government because of the four years of siege, arrests and torture of Hamas leaders and members linked to the name of Salam Fayyad," he said.
"Reconciliation for us in Hamas is a strategic goal we will seek to achieve by all means possible, but there are red lines that we cannot agree to cross."
Fatah's decision comes ahead of a Tuesday meeting in Cairo between officials from the rival Palestinian factions, as the two sides try to nail down a deal on the make-up of the new government under the unity deal.
The surprise agreement, intended to end years of bitter feuding, calls for a government of independents to lay the groundwork for presidential and legislative elections within a year.
On Saturday night, after the central committee meeting, Fatah representative Azzam al-Ahmed, who helped broker the unity deal, said the next round of talks should yield a final government line-up.
The central committee "decided to continue communications with Hamas and the other factions in order to form the Palestinian government as soon as possible."
"The two sides will meet this Tuesday to form a government, and we hope that this will be the last round (of talks) needed to finish the make-up of the government," he told AFP.
A Fatah delegation led by Ahmed left Ramallah on Sunday for the Egyptian capital ahead of Tuesday's talks.
Fatah and Hamas have each been drawing up shortlists of their candidates for the prime minister's post. Hamas has not announced its candidates, but reports suggest two or three figures from Gaza are being considered.
The Palestinian leadership is also facing international pressure to keep Fayyad on, in a bid to reassure donors and maintain the flow of funds to the aid-dependant Palestinian government.
The international community has roundly praised Fayyad, a former World Bank official, for his efforts to build Palestinian institutions and prepare for statehood even in the absence of peace talks with Israel.
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