CARIO, May 17, 2011 (WAFA) – Azzam Al-Ahmad, chief of Fatah delegation to the reconciliation talks with Hamas, Tuesday said that Fatah and Hamas were getting close to forming a national unity government.

He said that Monday’s talks with Hamas delegation in Cairo, the first since signing the reconciliation agreement on May 4, focused on the formation of the new government.

“While we discussed names for prime minister and cabinet ministers,” he said, “we agreed that the final decision will be done inside Palestine to allow all factions and popular organizations to take part in these discussions.”

“Everything looks promising and we hope to get everything done very soon and in less than a month,” he said.

Ahmad told WAFA that he was not as optimistic when they first signed the reconciliation agreement as he is now “because we are moving with serious and practical steps to achieve what we have agreed on.”

He said that the two parties spent seven hours of talks on Monday that covered all issues that came in the Egyptian reconciliation paper, such as detainees, travel ban, confiscations, social reconciliation, national peace, revenge cases and compensation for the victims, as well as unifying public and security institutions.

“All these issues need a timetable and mechanism for implementation,” he said. “We agreed yesterday on  most of these issues and today (Tuesday) we will finish the discussion. What is important was that there was an understanding on all the subjects discussed.”

Ahmad would not confirm or deny reports that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was the most likely candidate to head the new government. He said that “I do not want to discuss names and turn the matter into an auction. Many names were proposed, but the final decision will not be made before hearing from the rest of the factions.”

M.H./M.A.