Hamas, Fatah to present unity government to parliament on Saturday
(14 Mar 2007) SHOTLIST 1. Exterior shot of Palestinian parliament 2. Set-up shot for Ahmed Bahar, Deputy Parliamentary spokesman 3. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ahmed Bahar, Deputy Parliamentary spokesman: "This will mean a new government. The acting Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh sent a letter to my offices asking to assign a parliamentary session in order to debate giving confidence to the new government and we have set this meeting for 11am on Saturday." 4. Set-up shot of independent Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mustafa Barghouti, Independent Palestinian legislator: "Convening the Palestinian Legislative Council is a natural step after we've managed to overcome the last difficulties in the direction of forming a national unity government. This is a great achievement after months of tireless efforts that we've been spending to reach the point of establishing the first national unity government in the history of the Palestinian people." 6. Set-up shot of Fatah spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nabil Abu Rdeneh, Fatah spokesman: "It's a matter of hours, I hope that the new Palestinian national government will be ready within hours and we hope that the world community will understand that this is the only way to give peace a chance and we hope that the world will understand that by encouraging President (Mahmoud) Abbas and this government to go forward in order to find a stable and sustainable peace in the Middle East." 8. Nabil Abu Rdeneh on the phone STORYLINE Rivals Hamas and Fatah will present a national unity government to parliament for approval on Saturday, in hopes of ending deadly internecine fighting, ending crippling western sanctions and leading the Palestinians out of international purdah. Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ahmed Bahar confirmed on Wednesday he had been asked to convene a session on Saturday for a vote of confidence in the new government. "The acting Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh sent a letter to my offices asking to assign a parliamentary session in order to debate giving confidence to the new government and we have set this meeting for 11am on Saturday, "he said. Abbas and Haniyeh were to make a formal announcement on the formation of the coalition after their evening meeting, Abbas aides said. The decision by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, made in a meeting on Wednesday, capped months of stop-and-go coalition talks alternating with periods of bloodshed. Abbas and Haniyeh were expected to meet again later on Wednesday to wrap up loose ends, including who will be named to the key position of interior minister and take control of the security forces. In all, Hamas will get nine Cabinet posts and Fatah will get six. Mustafa Barghouti, an Independent Palestinian legislator told AP Television he is pleased with the outcome. "This is a great achievement after months of tireless efforts that we've been spending to reach the point of establishing the first national unity government in the history of the Palestinian people," he said. The two sides were eager to complete the coalition talks ahead of an Arab summit later this month in Saudi Arabia, having laid the foundations to the deal in Mecca last month. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected in the region next week. Hamas and Fatah have been talking since fall on forming a more moderate coalition that Abbas hopes will end the boycott the West clamped on the Hamas government after it swept parliamentary elections a year ago. 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...
