A spokesman for the Hamas-led government, Ghazi Hamad, added that Abbas should not have made such a statement at an early point in the tenure of the new government.

"We expect from President Abbas to protect his government and not to make such declarations," Hamad said in an interview from Gaza city.

Aides to Abbas said his comments were meant as a warning to Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader who criticized the Palestinian president last week, and that Abbas doesn't plan on dissolving the government anytime soon. He will do so only if the economic situation in the territories becomes "catastrophic," they said.

If Abbas were to dissolve the government, he would ask someone else to try to form a new Cabinet, which would need the approval of the Hamas-controled legislature. If a stalemate then emerged, Abbas has the authority to order new elections.

In the interview, Abbas also said that Hamas had to face the facts and negotiate with Israel or the Palestinian people would be left to starve after the United States and European Union cut funding because of Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence.

"Hamas has to face the facts and establish communication with Israel," he said. "I'm worried that the situation will turn into a tragedy in the near future. A short time later, we could be up against a great hunger disaster in Palestine."

"Without help we can't stand on our feet long," he added. Abbas spoke during the interview in both Arabic and English and the interview was broadcast with a voice-over in Turkish. CNN-Turk provided The Associated Press with a full transcript of Abbas' remarks translated into Turkish.

Page:

1

2

3