United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan telephoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to congratulate him and Palestine on the peaceful and orderly conduct of Wednesday's legislative election, U.N. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said yesterday. "The Secretary-General views these elections as an important step towards the achievement of a Palestinian state," Dujarric said. It was the first time Hamas entered organized politics, and preliminary results indicate that a majority 76 parliamentary seats were gained by the group over the ruling party Fatah, which took only 43, according to press reports. Hamas gained almost all seats in the Ramallah area. "Any group that wishes to participate in the democratic process should ultimately disarm," said Annan as he took questions at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland today. Referring to Hamas, he said, "I'm sure they are thinking about that too." Back in New York headquarters, Dujarric said, "We have to see how the form of the new government progresses and what the new government looks like."
