In an interview with the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, Dahlan said that an agreement on the political program, recognition of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the future statehood were more important than other calls on Hamas to end its control on the Gaza Strip.

"So far, there are no joint points over the shape of the Palestinian statehood, no internal understanding on the political program and no agreement on the national principles," Dahlan said.

The remarks of Dahlan seemed to be more moderate than Fatah's chief, President Mahmoud Abbas, who turns down any idea of making contact with the Islamic movement before it ends control in the Gaza Strip.

In June, Hamas routed pro-Abbas security forces and forcibly took over the Gaza Strip, effectively separating it from Abbas' control. At that time, Dahlan was Abbas' national security advisor.

Dahlan, who has resigned and stepped away from the political scene, implicitly criticized some colleagues who demanded Hamas give up control of the security services in Gaza.

"This is nonsense ... where are the security services?" Dahlan questioned, adding that Israel destroyed the security apparatuses in 2002.

Agencies

Güncelleme Tarihi: 24 Aralık 2007, 12:29