Security ahead of swearing-in of new Palestinian unity govt

(17 Mar 2007) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of Gaza street 2. Pan from street to "Shawa" building, where swearing in of government will take place 3. Medium shot of Palestinian flags at entrance to building 4. Tilt down from building to security men outside 5. Pan of conference room 6. Medium shot of cleaning worker preparing room for swearing in 7. Pictures of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and late president Yasser Arafat 8. Close up on sign between pictures, sign reads: "the matters of people should be consulted among them" (a quote from Qur'an) 9. Security man outside building 10. Close up on weapon , street in background 11. End shot of security men outside building STORYLINE: The new Hamas-Fatah coalition was to set to clear a final formal hurdle on Saturday, approval by the parliament, before taking on the challenge of persuading the international community to end a crippling yearlong boycott of the Palestinian government. The government's program, finalised late on Friday, contained some softer language than a draft published earlier in the week, though is still falls short of international demands for acceptance, including explicit recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence. Preparations for the swearing in of the new Palestinian unity government were under way in Gaza city on Saturday with security officers gathered around the Shawa building where the ceremony will take place. The swearing-in is due to take place simultaneously in Gaza and in the parliament building in Ramallah, connected by video conference - which has become the norm for the Palestinian parliament in recent years. Palestinian politicians cannot meet in one place because of Israeli travel bans. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas presented the list of Cabinet ministers to President Mahmoud Abbas clearing the final obstacle between the two parties. The men agreed on the appointment of Hani Kawasmi as the new interior minister, a sensitive post that oversees several powerful security forces. Hani Kawasmi, is a senior Interior Ministry civil servant who has good relations with Hamas and Fatah, but does not belong to either party. Hamas and Fatah leaders wrapped up months of tortuous coalition talks late on Wednesday, saying they would present their coalition to parliament for approval on Saturday. Israel was quickly to condemn the coalition as a 'step backward' in the Palestinian-Israeli relationship and promised to rally the international community against the new coalition. In the mean time, western countries have said they are waiting for the new government to take office before deciding whether to lift their economic sanctions against the Palestinian government. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...