GAZA, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh worked again to have the Fatah and Hamas groups to form a unity government.
The two leaders could not finalize their deal Monday on the talks but planned to resume meetings Tuesday, The New York Times reported. Abbas leads the secular Fatah movement, while Haniyeh heads the ruling Hamas faction.
The deal the two are trying to reach will allow the Palestinian Authority to form a government that could lead to ending its international isolation that resulted when the militant Hamas took power. A unity government would be another step in restoring Western assistance.
"We agreed on one thing: a national government of professionals will be coming," a spokesman for Abbas was quoted as saying.
Lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti, who is mediating the talks, told the Times, "Both parties have realized that no one party can lead the Palestinians and there is a need for a coalition that will include everyone."
