Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was named Saturday head of his Fatah movements at his party's first conference in two decades, strengthening the hand of the Western-backed leader in his bid to revive peace talks with Israel, AP reported. But Abbas' ability to speak _ and negotiate _ on behalf of Palestinians will depend on if he can revive his party's flagging fortunes and heal a rift between Fatah and its rivals, the Islamic militant group Hamas. «This convention must be a new beginning for the Fatah movement,» said Abbas to thunderous applause. «In our history we've had many launches and setbacks. Sometimes we have reached the edge of the abyss _ but we have always returned stronger,» he said. Hundreds of delegates cheered and clapped as senior Fatah official Tayib Abdul Rahim announced on Saturday that Abbas was chosen to lead the party. There was no vote because no other candidate came forward to challenge Abbas' five-year rule. Technically Abbas can only lead the party for five years, until a new conference is announced, but this is the first time Fatah members have met in 20 years and it is not clear when they will convene again. Abbas pledged to lead Palestinians to statehood but the challenges facing him are many. He wants to strengthen the party which dominated Palestinian politics for decades under the leadership of charismatic leader Yasser Arafat. But under Abbas' leadership, the party was trounced by Hamas in 2006 parliamentary elections, partly because of its corruption-tainted image. A year later, Hamas seized the Gaza Strip by force, politically splitting the Palestinian territories in two. The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority rules the West Bank only, and Abbas has not been able to foster reconciliation between his party and Hamas. Without a rapprochment, Abbas' claim to represent all Palestinians in peace negotiations with Israel is shaky as he cannot impose authority over all the territories he seeks for a state, and will not be able to ensure security on southern Israel's border with Gaza.
