Abbas to address Fatah leadership

President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to deliver a speech before Fatah's revolutionary council Tuesday afternoon, as questions linger over a deal signed in Qatar with Hamas. It was not clear whether the speech would address internal Fatah issues, or if it would be a political address in which Abbas can explain details about the agreement with Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal. Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan called on the president to “quickly form a national unity government as agreed in Doha and Cairo.” Radwan criticized Abbas over “lagging” to form the government on that basis. He said remarks casting doubts on Hamas' position were an attempt to elude the agreement, reflecting a lack of seriousness. The Hamas official said its leaders were unanimously committed to the Doha deal. The denial comes amid reports of an internal crisis within Hamas over its reconciliation pact with Fatah at secret talks in Qatar on Sunday. "(Hamas chief) Khalid Mashaal and (Gaza Premier) Ismail Haniyeh met last night in Qatar to discuss the dispute in Hamas over the Doha agreement," a diplomat in the region said Monday. Mashaal has recently quit his longtime Damascus headquarters, politically embarrassed by Syrian President Bashar Assad's bloody crackdown on an uprising waged by fellow Sunni Muslims. Haniyeh flew to Qatar from Iran, Syria's ally and a sworn enemy of Israel and its Western supporters, which was displeased by Mashaal's refusal to stay and support Assad. Meanwhile, Fatah leader Nabil Shaath told Ma'an that internal disagreement in Hamas was holding up the appointment of a unity government. Abbas is waiting for confirmation from Hamas that they will back the new cabinet, Shaath said. He disputed the accusation from opponents of the deal that Abbas holding both posts of president and prime minister broke Palestinian law, noting that the persistence of divided Hamas and Fatah-led governments was itself unconstitutional. "Abbas was only chosen after a number of candidates were rejected, particularly (current premier in the West Bank) Salam Fayyad," he added.