Palestinian prime minister-designate Ismail Haniya said on Monday that he expected to unveil a new government made up of his Hamas faction and the moderate Fatah party by the end of next week.
Speaking to his outgoing Hamas-led cabinet, Haniya said he would continue talks with Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmud Abbas on Monday and Tuesday with a view to finalising the new cabinet line-up. "We are going to continue consultations today and tomorrow during the president's stay in Gaza. But... these consultations are not over and the government will not be announced before the end of next week," he said.
Under the terms of a February 8 Palestinian power-sharing agreement reached in Saudi Arabia, Hamas will occupy nine cabinet seats plus the premiership and their erstwhile rivals Fatah will take six. Hamas will nominate another three "independent" ministers and Fatah two. The radical Islamist movement will also name an interior minister whose candidature must be approved by Abbas.
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