Hamas plays down chances of Fatah talks succeeding

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas expressed doubt on Friday that Yemeni-sponsored reconciliation talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction would succeed despite an agreement to extend the discussions for an extra day.

At the request of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the rival Palestinian factions agreed to meet on Saturday and make a further push for a breakthrough.

"Fatah is trying to avoid reaching an agreement by all possible means," said Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, which the Islamist group seized in June after routing Abbas's Fatah forces.

Taha said Abbas was not interested in resuming talks with Hamas because of "an American veto."

Abbas told reporters after meeting the Russian foreign minister in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the talks with Hamas had "failed" so far.

But referring to Saturday's talks, Abbas added: "We do not want to predict a failure. We hope for good results."

The Yemeni proposal calls for the situation in the Gaza Strip to return to the way it was before the Hamas takeover and for Palestinian elections to be held.

The main point of contention appeared to be Fatah's demand, included in the Yemeni proposal, for Hamas to give up control of the Gaza Strip.

The plan also envisages the creation of another unity government and rebuilding of Palestinian security forces along national rather than factional lines.

Fatah has said it would agree to direct reconciliation talks with Hamas only if Hamas first consented to relinquish its hold on the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

Members of Fatah's delegation announced on Thursday that they would stay another day at Yemen's request.

Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached on Saturday, Saleh Rafat, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee, said: "I don't think so."

(Reporting Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Haitham Tamimi in Ramallah; Writing by Joseph Nasr, Editing by Tim Pearce)