RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with a senior U.S. envoy on Saturday, at a time of concern in Washington over Abbas' support for a coalition between the Islamic militant group Hamas and his pragmatic Fatah movement.
U.S. officials have told Abbas they would shun any Palestinian government that does not explicitly recognize Israel, according to Abbas aides. The platform of the planned Hamas-Fatah government only contains a vague promise to "respect" previous peace deals with Israel, at best implying recognition.
Abbas accepted the power-sharing deal with Hamas last week during a meeting in Mecca in hopes that it would end months of deadly factional fighting, even though the new government's program is unlikely to satisfy the international community or end a crippling aid boycott.
Based on the agreement with Abbas, the Hamas government resigned earlier this week and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas now has five weeks to form the new coalition.
David Welch, a senior U.S. State Department official, met Saturday with Abbas at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah to talk about the emerging government. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was expected to meet Abbas on Sunday.
Earlier this week, Welch called Abbas and informed him that Washington would boycott all members of the coalition, including independents and those from Fatah, unless its program is in line with international demands, Abbas' aides have said.
Rice has said she will reserve judgment until the coalition is formed and its policies are clear. She said she has seen no evidence that the government intends to meet international demands. "Talking about recognizing or not recognizing the government" is premature, Rice said Thursday.
Rice will meet with Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, a day before a planned three-way summit with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The meeting was initially billed as a step toward restarting talks on a final peace talk, but will likely be overshadowed by disputes over the Palestinian government.
In Gaza, meanwhile, Haniyeh began coalition talks, meeting with representatives of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small PLO faction. A Hamas legislator, Khalil al-Hayeh, said Haniyeh hoped to form a government within three weeks, rather than the allotted five weeks.
In the West Bank city of Nablus, a Hamas member of the outgoing Cabinet, Planning Minister Samir Abu Eisha, said gunmen fired at his home, breaking windows, but causing no injuries.
Ghazi Hamad, a government spokesman, said the gunmen were apparently trying to derail the power-sharing deal. There was no claim of responsibility.
