Abbas to continue talks with opposition

AMMAN - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday he will continue consulting with Islamic opposition groups during and after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, even though they have rejected an offer to join his government.

Abbas spoke on arrival in Amman from a tour to Lebanon and Syria, where he briefed exiled Palestinian leaders - including the militant Hamas - on Israel's pullout from Gaza and sustaining a truce with Israel. "We discussed many things, including ways to have calm prevail in the Palestinian territories," he said.

Abbas said Hamas' refusal to join a national unity government did not bother him, adding the group has told him that "such an issue did not concern them."

But consultation with Hamas and other opposition groups will continue through various channels, including committees comprising different Palestinian factions, Abbas said.

"These committees discuss all issues of significance, like Israel's withdrawal and the restoration of calm in the Palestinian territories," he told reporters.

On Monday, Hamas announced it had rejected Abbas' invitation to join his government - a move seen as a blow for his hopes to co-opt them into his ruling team before parliamentary elections and to blunt their opposition stance.

Abbas has postponed the elections, hoping to shore up support for the ruling Fatah faction after Hamas made significant gains in recent local elections.

Israel has demanded that Abbas disarm Hamas, which has taken responsibility for dozens of suicide bombings.