Freedoms committee condemns calls for dismantling

Freedoms Committee condemns calls for dismantling it Head of the Group of Independent Palestinian Figures, Dr. Yasser Al Wadia said that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will be heading towards Gaza, following the formation of the transitional government, in order to follow up with the implementation of the reconciliation agreement regarding both the political and the security sides. He said, in a press release, that the National salvation government will form the second stage of implementing the Cairo agreement after implementing most of the requirements of the first stage through committees emerging from the agreement.
Al-Wadia said that the declaration of a national unity government in the West Bank represents the biggest step towards ending the division. Ismail Al-Ashqar, Hamas representative in the Freedoms Committee stated that the committee will meet on Sunday with the Egyptian Intelligence in Cairo to review the latest findings.
Al-Ashqar said in a press release "we are seeking to resolve the problems". He also revealed that the committee has not achieved anything and said that the meeting will include Hamas, Fatah, Freedom committee and the Egyptian Intelligence.
Khalil Abu Shamala, general secretary of the Committee on Civil Liberties said that the committee will hold a meeting in the next two days in order to discuss ways of re-enforcing its work.
In a TV interview, Saturday, he said the committee will resume working once the concerned parties agreed to end the division. Abu Shamala condemned Fatah member Azzam al-Ahmad's statements calling for dismantling the Public Freedoms committee and addressing a series of accusations against it, saying that the members of the committee are doing their best in order to reach the reconciliation.
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Radwan noted that the Doha Declaration, which states that Mahmoud Abbas will take over the national consensus government, is an important step in the reconciliation. Radwan added that Meshaal's signature on the Doha agreement confirms Hamas' seriousness in achieving the reconciliation.
Naming a Prime minister had created a great dilemma earlier against implementing the agreement by Hamas, Fatah and factions in Cairo, where Fatah recommended Salam Fayyad to be the prime minster, which was rejected by Hamas who in turn recommended several names for the post.
The Cairo Agreement stated that the prime Minster should neither be from Hamas nor from Fatah or the Palestinian factions, but should be from among any other qualified Palestinian figures.
The Hamas leader stressed the importance of implementing the reconciliation, calling on Abbas and Fatah to implement all of its terms.
"Political consensus transcends legal disputes for the sake of the national interest", Radwan added.
Azzam al-Ahmad  affirmed that Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal stressed that the Doha Declaration will go on, referring to the incompatibility among Hamas leaders. However, he praised the positive relations between Meshaal and Abbas, saying that the harmony between the two men was beyond his expectations. He noted that the negotiations for forming a government will start after completing the work of the Follow-up Committee.
He revealed that a meeting between Abbas and Meshaal will be held on February 21 in Cairo in order to discus the issue of the Liberation Organization.
Al-Ahmad defended Abbas' right for presidency, saying "there is no such thing as government authority and presidential authority, there are just three authorities which are the executive, judicial and legislative authorities, and the head of the authority is the head of the executive authority, as stated by law."
In the meantime, al-Ahmad said "those who are speaking of the legal violations are among Hamas and some of the Palestinian factions", calling them not to refer to the law, since they are not committed to it. He also added that if a former action is repeated, it will be a tradition, even if there was no legal provision stating it.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee said that initiating the formation of a consensus government according the Doha Declaration is subject to the completion of the procedural and legal preparation of the presidential elections.