Palestinian Council Extends Term for President Abbas
VOA News 16 December 2009
The Palestine Liberation Organization central council agreed on the extension Wednesday during a meeting in Ramallah.
Mr. Abbas' Fatah faction controls the West Bank, and he had said he would step down when his term expires next month on January 24. But new elections were postponed after the Hamas faction, which controls the Gaza Strip, banned Palestinians there from participating.
Hamas officials say the group opposes holding elections until the two factions reconcile.
Fatah has already approved the Egyptian-brokered unity agreement. But Hamas refused to sign, saying the deal does not include a clause on the Palestinians' right to resist Israeli occupation.
Mr. Abbas has led the Palestinian peace efforts with Israel since first becoming president of the Palestinian Authority in January 2005.
Those efforts have made little headway, and last month he rejected U.S. calls for an unconditional resumption of negotiations with Israel.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
