Spokesmen of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as the caretaker
Hamas-led government said last night the national unity government would be
announced in 48 hours.
"The government will be declared before the end of this week (Friday)," said
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-led government in Gaza.
Nabil Abu Rudaina, spokesman for Abbas, said: "We need 24 or 48 hours to end
all details regarding the formation of the government."
The two spokesmen were speaking in a joint news briefing held outside Abbas'
office in Gaza where Prime Minister Ismail Haneya of Hamas held a meeting with
Abbas.
The government was being formed according to a power-sharing deal reached
between Hamas and Fatah last month in Saudi Arabian holy city of Mecca.
The issue of selecting an independent interior minister remained outstanding.
Earlier, Hamas announced it will present three candidates for the interior
minister post during the Abbas-Haneya meeting.
Salah al-Bardaweel, spokesman for Hamas lawmakers, told reporters that the
nominees included a "military personality and two independents." However, he
declined to give names.
"We hope Abu Mazen (Abbas) will agree on one of the candidates to close this
file," he said.
