Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday he had began holding talks about forming a new Palestinian national unity government, dpa cited the official news agency Wafa as reporting. Movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, quickly rejected the announcement, describing it as a "unilateral" move. Abbas, who made the announcement from Italy while on his way to an official visit to Austria, said he would disclose the composition of the new cabinet and set an election date as soon as he completes his consultations. He did not specify a time limit. His statement came two weeks after prime minister Salam Fayyad resigned.
