Abbas renews commitment to holding elections in January

RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said he is committed to holding general elections in accordance with the constitutional date without any postponement.

"We will go on in the constitutional requirements and no one should think that we are maneuvering with the decree," Abbas said, referring to a decree he issued late on Friday calling for elections to be held on Jan. 24, 2010.

Abbas said he issued the decree to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip after rival factions failed to reach a deal through the Egyptian-sponsored dialogue.

The Islamic Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, rejected Abbas' decree, arguing that it was a blow to the Egyptian reconciliation efforts.

But Abbas, speaking before the Palestinian Central Council (PCC) in the West Bank city of Ramallah, accused Hamas of thwarting the Egyptian efforts, saying that Hamas is "obeying the orders of other sides that have control of Hamas' decision."

Abbas' secular Fatah party has accepted the Egyptian proposal which calls for holding elections in the middle of next year and sets steps to restore political unity to the geographically-divided Gaza and the Fatah-ruled West Bank.

However, Hamas sought modifications on the initiative, which reportedly sparked Cairo's anger that encouraged Abbas to issue his elections decree.

Despite the decree, Abbas said he is still committed to the "inevitable national unity to end the dark emirate in the Gaza Strip." He accused Hamas of giving priorities to its own agenda over the interests of the people in the Israeli-blockaded coastal strip.