Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas  Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas is to name Ziad Abu Amr as the leader of the new Palestine unity government, sources have said. Sources in ruling Palestinian party Fatah, which is headed by Abbas, have informed 'Arabstoday' that the president is to inform Hamas politburo chief Khald Meshaal of Amr's appointment when the two meet in Cairo.
Ziad Abu Amr is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a former Foreign Minister.
Sources added that Amr's reputation and and wordlwide contact base would help promote the future unity government without jeapordising the financial support the Palestinian Authority (PA) receives from international donors.
Other Palestinian sources stated that Abbas would try to convince the hamas leadership to appoint Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who heads the present government, as Finance Minister in the new government.
Fayyad has long been seen as a barrier to reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, while Hamas had earlier refused to accept him as a leader of the unity government. However this does not mean that they will object to his appointment as Finance Minister.
The political division of the future unity government will be headed by Abbas. Arab support for the unity government would depend heavily on Abbas's commitment to respecting the conditions set forth by the Quartet (consisting of the UN, US, EU and Russia).
Sources have said that Abbas will confirm to Meshaal that the government will be approved by him and the new presidential cabinet, who are also to decide on a number of contentious issues surrounding Palestine. These include recognition of the State of Israel and support of the Palestinian state based on 1967 borders which Hamas has categorically refused on many occassions, considering it to be a pre-requisite to uniting with Fatah.