A senior leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Wednesday that the group would reveal its nominee for parliament speaker at the inauguration session of the newly-elected legislature slated for Saturday.

Atef Odwan, a Gaza-based senior Hamas leader who is also a lawmaker, said that the group would "wait until Saturday to reveal who has be chosen (as parliament speaker)."

"Saturday is going to be a decisive day," he added, while refusing to confirm earlier reports which said that Azeez Dweik, a Hamas leader from the West Bank city of Ramallah was elected as the new speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The reports also tipped Mahmoud al-Zahar as head of Hamas in the council.

"We don't want to create any kind of confusion over nominations on the legislative council secretariat," he said. "The reports could be true and could be untrue."

Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction, has won the Jan. 25 legislative elections by a landslide and held 74 seats in the 132-member parliament.

The long dominant Fatah movement, which is now led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, has suffered a crushing defeat in the polls and only managed to garner 45 seats. The newly-elected parliament is scheduled to hold its first session on Saturday, during which the speaker, two deputies and a secretary are expected to be elected.

With a majority of parliament seats, Hamas will easily push through its nominees in the parliament.
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Also on Wednesday, a senior Hamas leader rejected earlier Israeli reports saying that Hamas is seeking a secret channel of dialogue with both Israel and the United States.

Khalil Abu Leila, newly elected Hamas member in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), made the clarification to reporters after the Israeli daily of Yediot Ahronot Wednesday quoted high-ranking Israeli official sources as saying that Hamas leadership in Gaza has tried recently opening a channel of dialogue with Israel and the United States.

"These reports are totally untrue, and it is parts of the rumors that the Zionists are trying to publish in the media from time to time," Abu Leila told the reporters.

He said that "the main aim of publishing such rumors in the Zionist newspapers is to destroy the good reputation of the movement which still firmly keeps its stances and positions concerning the recognition of the state of Israel."

Meanwhile, the Hamas leader also rejected Israeli reports on disarming al-Qassam Brigades, armed wing of Hamas, saying Israelis producing lies against Hamas.

The Israeli official sources earlier affirmed to the Israeli daily that Israel had received a secret letter from Hamas asking to open a new channel of contacts, which was rejected by Israel unless Hamas recognizes the state of Israel.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2006)