Abbas says progress soon in Palestinian reconciliation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that the next few days will witness concrete steps to implement a recent reconciliation deal between the Fatah party and the Hamas movement. "We will start to implement what we have agreed upon during the upcoming few days," Abbas told a meeting marking the founding of Jerusalem Fund in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The steps will include the formation of a technocratic government and later setting dates for general elections, he said. "Setting the elections date is the most important point that will ensure and strengthen the national unity," Abbas saidd. Last week, rival Palestinian Hamas movement and Fatah party announced a reconciliation agreement after two days of discussions in the Gaza Strip. Under the agreement, Abbas would start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks and call for general elections six months after forming the new administration. The new understandings would end a Palestinian political rift that started when Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Abbas who now rules the West Bank. Meanwhile, Abbas said he is ready to extend the faltering U.S- mediated peace talks if Israel releases the final group of long- term Palestinian prisoners, freezes settlement construction and agrees to define the borders of a future Palestinian state within the next three months. The nine-month U.S-sponsored peace negotiation came to an end on Tuesday without achieving any tangible progress. During the negotiations, the U.S. attempted to get the two sides to agree on a framework peace plan, but grave differences have led to a stalemate in the peace process.