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04/07/2009 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not plan on running for another term, Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hassan Khraisheh said on Saturday.
According to Khraisheh, Abbas made the announcement in a meeting with Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz Duwaik, who was recently released from Israeli prison. Khraisheh was also present at the meeting.
Khraisheh, who is not a member of Hamas, but was elected to parliament as an independent candidate, spoke to Palestinian reporters but refused to give further details on the expected retirement.
However, Khraisheh did state that Abbas stressed in the meeting that his current term, that is scheduled to conclude in January, 2011, will be his last.
The deputy speaker added that Abbas proposed establishing a unity government, in which five to six Hamas members would serve.
He said this would enable the ministers to facilitate in the removal of the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Khraisheh also noted that Abbas expressed his willingness to put an end to Palestinian division, and agreed on continued cooperation with Duwaik.
The report comes as a surprise as Abbas has recently expressed determination to run for another term as president. The development also puts at risk progress of talks on the possibility of holding elections in January 2010, the date when the Palestinian parliament ends its term.
Meanwhile, Egypt continues its efforts to convince Hamas and Fatah to agree on a date for elections, regardless of disagreements on other issues between the two parties.
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