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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Hamas vows it 'will be part of the solution, period'

NICOSIA — Khaled Masha'al has been reelected leader of a reorganizaed Hamas which has drafted plans to form a government separate from the Palestinian Authority.   

Hamas sources said the new government in the Gaza Strip would be installed unless the next round of talks, scheduled for May 16 in Cairo, were successful in forming a coalition with Fatah.

"There is only one enemy in the region, and that is Israel," Masha'al told the New York Times on May 5. "I promise the American administration and the international community that we will be part of the solution, period."

On May 3, Hamas said the 15-member politbureau also contains three members from the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline reported. They were identified as Nizar Awadallah, Khalil Al Hayeh and Mahmoud Zahar, all serving their first term on the panel. The three have been linked to Hamas's military wing.

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Hamas said Masha'al, 53, was elected chief of the movement's political bureau by more than 500 members. This marked Masha'al's fourth term in office, scheduled to expire in 2013.

Masha'al's deputy, Mussa Abu Marzouk, also retained his post. For his part, Masha'al said he would seek to build relations with the United States.

Hamas said several representatives in the West Bank were also elected to the politbureau. But the movement did not identify them.

The movement has also established a so-called executive council. The council, meant to advise, contains 25 representatives, including members of the politbureau.

The political bureau does not contain Mohammed Nazzal, replaced by Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan. Nazzal was said to have opposed any dialogue with the Fatah movement, led by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

In 2008, Hamas held elections for its Consultative Council in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Many of those elected were said to be military commanders aligned with Iran.

Hamas sources said the new Consultative Council, also called the Shura Council, was dominated by the military wing. They said Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, regarded as close to Saudi Arabia, would have little control of the 10-member council despite receiving the most number of votes.

The council contains such commanders as Atallah Abu Al Sabah, Majdi Baba, Yusef Farhat, Osama Hamad, Fuad Nahal, Issa Nashar, Salem Salameh and Abu Ayman Taha. Two allies of Haniyeh, Ghazi Hamad and Ahmed Yusef, refused to run for the Shura Council.

Haniyeh was expected to be the prime minister in such a government. Zahar and Al Haya were slated to become senior ministers.



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