Ziad Abu Amr named Palestine unity government leader

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas is to name Ziad Abu Amr as the leader of the new Palestine unity government, sources have said. Sources in ruling Palestinian party Fatah , which is headed by Abbas, have informed 'Arabstoday' that the president is to inform Hamas politburo chief Khald Meshaal of Amr's appointment when the two meet in Cairo.
Ziad Abu Amr is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a former Foreign Minister.
Sources added that Amr's reputation and and wordlwide contact base would help promote the future unity government without jeapordising the financial support the Palestinian Authority (PA) receives from international donors.
Other Palestinian sources stated that Abbas would try to convince the hamas leadership to appoint Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who heads the present government, as Finance Minister in the new government.
Fayyad has long been seen as a barrier to reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah, while Hamas had earlier refused to accept him as a leader of the unity government. However this does not mean that they will object to his appointment as Finance Minister.
The political division of the future unity government will be headed by Abbas. Arab support for the unity government would depend heavily on Abbas's commitment to respecting the conditions set forth by the Quartet (consisting of the UN, US, EU and Russia).
Sources have said that Abbas will confirm to Meshaal that the government will be approved by him and the new presidential cabinet, who are also to decide on a number of contentious issues surrounding Palestine. These include recognition of the State of Israel and support of the Palestinian state based on 1967 borders which Hamas has categorically refused on many occassions, considering it to be a pre-requisite to uniting with Fatah.
Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hand over tax payments owed to the Palestinian Authority and to stop settlement activity in the occupied territories, his spokesman said.
The UN secretary general "stressed the need to de-escalate" Israeli-Palestinian tensions that have heightened since the Palestinian bid to become a member of the United Nations, said spokesman Martin Nesirky, giving an account of telephone talks between Ban and Netanyahu yesterday.
After UNESCO agreed to accept the Palestinian Authority last month, Israel withheld payments of VAT and customs revenues that it collects on behalf of the PA. The UN estimates about $100 million a month is involved.
Israel also announced new approvals for settlements in the Palestinian territories.
"The secretary general appealed to Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately resume the transfer of Palestinian tax and customs revenues, in line with Israel's legal obligations," said Nesirky.
"He also expressed his deep concern about Israel's announcement of further settlement expansions, including in East Jerusalem, which undermine current peace efforts and violate international law."
Ban said Israel had to contribute to efforts to ease tensions "to create an environment conducive for the resumption of direct negotiations."
Talks between the two sides have been halted since September last year when Israel ended a moratorium on construction in the occupied territories.
The diplomatic Quartet launched a new bid to hold talks on September 23 when President Abbas made his application to join the UN. International envoys have struggled to bridge the gap between the two sides however.
In his talks with Netanyahu, Ban welcomed Israel's approval of new UN construction projects worth $5.5 million in Gaza "while calling for further measures towards lifting the closure" of the territory, Nesirky said.