MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday the formation of a government after Hamas's landslide election victory was still some way off and that talks could take a while.
Mr Abbas arrived in Gaza late yesterday and is expected to hold a first round of talks with Hamas leaders today, his aides said.
"We will discuss the results of the elections and certainly we may talk about the new government, but it is still early to discuss its formation," Abbas said.
He said that before a government could be formed, parliament would have to be convened and the new deputies would have to be sworn in. Palestinian officials said that this could happen some time in the middle of February.
Meanwhile, Hamas said yesterday it would never recognise Israel, but might be willing to negotiate terms for a temporary truce. Khaled Meshaal, leader of Hamas, made the offer ahead of negotiations with Mr Abbas.