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Palestinians begin new government

Resignations are the first step, and a revival of a peace plan is broached.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published September 14, 2006

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinian Cabinet resigned Wednesday to clear the way for a new unity government, and President Mahmoud Abbas said he plans to send a delegation to the United Nations to try to revive a Mideast peace plan.

The mass resignation is the first step in forming a government that would include both the Islamic militant group Hamas and Abbas' moderate Fatah faction.

Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said the ministers handed their portfolios to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader. The next step would be Haniyeh's resignation. Abbas would then pick a candidate to form a new government - probably Haniyeh.

Abbas said earlier Wednesday that he would send a delegation to the U.N. General Assembly next week to try to revive the long-stalled "road map" peace plan.

The plan - drafted by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, known as the Quartet - called for confidence-building steps leading to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel by 2005. It was launched in June 2003 but never got off the ground.

Israel, the United States and European Union label Hamas a terror group and insist it must renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous peace accords.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni responded cautiously, saying Palestinian leaders cannot assume their proposed unity government will be accepted unless they renounce terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist.

[Last modified September 14, 2006, 00:57:57]