Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya has officially presented his resignation before President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting held on Thursday night in Gaza City.

 

Following the resignation, Abbas hands Haneya another letter designated him to form the new national unity government according to the agreement they reached last week in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca.

 

Haneya arrived early on Thursday night at the headquarters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, and an official meeting between the two men had started.

 

The meeting decided to start immediately the constitutional procedures of forming a national unity government. Haneya is expected to official present his resignation to Abbas, where Abbas would official designate him to form the new national unity government.

 

Meanwhile, leaders of rival Fatah and Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, said they agreed on Thursday evening on the immediate starting of constitutional measures on forming the national unity government.

 

Spokesman of Fatah movement, Abdul Hakim Awad told reporters following a two-hour meeting between the two movements' leaders in Gaza "We agreed to start immediately the constitutional measures to form the new government."

 

"The agreement was reached following intensive talks to overcome the crisis, which emerged on Wednesday," said Awad, adding that President Mahmoud Abbas and Premier Ismail Haneya will meet at 6:30 PM (16:30 GMT) Jerusalem time.

 

According to the agreement, Haneya should officially present his resignation as well as his cabinet, then he would receive an official letter from Abbas, designating him as the Prime Minister of the national unity government.

 

Haneya needs according to the Palestinian law, two weeks to form the government. Spokesman of the Hamas-led Ghazi Hamad had expected on Wednesday that forming the new government would take 10 days.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2007)