Quartet welcomes Palestinian unity government

UNITED NATIONS - The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators on Wednesday endorsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' effort to establish a national unity government with Hamas, which is still officially committed to the destruction of Israel.

"The Quartet welcomes the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a government of national unity, in the hope that the platform of such a government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and foreign ministers of the United States, European Union and Russia said in a statement.

Abbas is trying to build a coalition of his moderate Fatah party and the Islamist Hamas movement which defeated it in elections in January. The West has boycotted the Hamas-led government formed in March because it refused to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

The use of the term "reflect" allows Abbas some leeway for what may be an oblique formula for recognising past Palestine Liberation Organisation agreements.

The statement, endorsed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, mirrored almost word for word an EU statement last week. UN and European diplomats said it represented a significant easing of the United States' stance toward the Palestinian Authority since Hamas took it over this year.

The statement also called for a three-month extension and expansion of a temporary mechanism that channels aid to the Palestinians bypassing the existing Hamas-led government.

The Quartet also encouraged Israel to transfer some US$500 million ($768 million) in Palestinian tax and customs revenue that it is withholding to keep the money out of Hamas hands.

The Quartet indirectly criticised Israel for maintaining its closure of the Gaza Strip and restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement in the occupied West Bank, calling on the parties to implement fully all aspects of an agreement on movement and access.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said it was still unclear what Hamas had agreed to, with confusing signals emerging from the militant group.

"Everybody thought that when we got here, it would become clearer, but at the moment it's not really becoming clearer," Becket told reporters before the meeting.

The US-led aid embargo and a ban on contacts with the Hamas-led government has contributed to worsening poverty and lawlessness in the Palestinian territories, and the Europeans were eager to find a way out.

Abbas met US President George W Bush earlier on Wednesday and aides said he told Bush he was trying to form a government that respected past Palestinian-Israeli agreements.

He also urged Bush to re-activate the road map peace plan, envisioning a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

US officials had previously said Washington was sceptical about the proposed unity government, reflecting Israeli concerns that the platform must contain real recognition of Israel's right to exist and a commitment to end all violence.

The United States is not prepared to deal with Hamas and will only talk to Abbas, US officials say, noting the Palestinian leader has frozen talks on a unity government until he returns home from the United Nations.

- REUTERS