RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad yesterday submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas to pave the way for forming a new national unity government.
Fayyad made the announcement in a statement released by his office, saying his move was to reinforce efforts to make reconciliation talks in Cairo next week a success.
It will take effect “as soon as a unity government is formed with a time limit to the end of March,” said the statement.
Fayyad was appointed prime minister by Abbas in June 2007 following Hamas’ violent takeover of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh controls the Gaza Strip and does not recognize Fayyad’s Cabinet.
Fatah and Hamas, along with other Palestinian factions, met in Cairo on Feb. 26 to launch a reconciliation dialogue. They agreed to set up five committees that will meet again in Cairo on Tuesday to continue the national dialogue, in which they will discuss outstanding issues including a unity government, reform of Palestinian security services for presidential and parliamentary elections, reconciliation and the reform of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Fayyad praised Egyptian efforts to bring about reconciliation. “We see the current optimistic atmosphere following the first round of dialogue: A valuable chance that must be grabbed to end the state of split and boost real unity and reconciliation,” Fayyad said.
He expressed hope that the new government would be able to “accomplish the Palestinian national objective of ending (Israeli) occupation and establishing a Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Abbas said at the start of a meeting of the PLO Executive Committee here that he received the resignation letter and had asked Fayyad to “continue with his work until we see the results of the upcoming dialogue.”
Hamas said that Fayyad resigned due to differences with Abbas over financial matters. “We don’t think this resignation has anything to do with the Cairo talks, or with the formation of a Palestinian unity government. It rather came as a result of personal disagreement between Fayyad and Abbas,” Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said in a press statement. “This was expected because the government was illegitimate. It worked for private interests rather than Palestinian national ones. This government damaged Palestinian interests,” he added.
A senior Fatah official played down the significance of the resignation, saying: “We understand that it’s just another threatening act designed solely for the media.”
The official said that if reconciliation efforts between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas succeed, Fayyad would have to resign anyway as another prime minister, acceptable to both parties, would be agreed upon during negotiations.
The official also rejected a suggestion that aid money is being channeled through the PA only on Fayyad’s insistence.
“The Americans are the ones making Fayyad’s involvement a condition of aid. US money goes primarily to security. The European and Arab donors never made Fayyad’s position a condition of their aid,” he explained.
