Abbas begins talks to form national government RAMALLAH, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began discussions Saturday to form a national government, the official Wafa news agency reported. The government would be formed in accordance with deals brokered between Abbas' Fatah party and Hamas in Doha and Cairo in the past couple of years, Abbas said in a statement. The government is supposed to rule the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and to prepare for holding general elections, including polls within the bodies of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), he said, calling on all Palestinian factions to cooperate with the formation of the government. Abbas also said the government would be a technocratic interim body comprising independent figures. Salah Al-Bardawil, a spokesperson for Hamas, however, said the Islamic movement is unaware of Abbas' efforts to form the government. Al-Bardawil said Hamas would welcome the move only if the national reconciliation was achieved as "one package" that settles all outstanding issues. The Gaza Strip has been controlled by Hamas since it routed pro- Abbas forces in 2007. News Analysis: Hard nut to crack for Palestine to form transitional unity gov't GAZA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Forming a transitional unity government that ends around six years of internal Palestinian division between Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and deciding on the date of holding the general legislative and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories are still marking time. Observers and analysts believe that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the only high-ranking official who is authorized to issue two decrees; the first is related to forming a government and the second is related to holding the elections. News Analysis: Palestinian rivals compete for Turkey's support GAZA, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party have been struggling to gain the support from Ankara as Turkey's regional sway grows, observers said. Fatah, Hamas to resume reconciliation dialogue in Cairo soon RAMALLAH, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian rival groups, Hamas and Fatah, are expected to resume their reconciliation dialogue in the Egyptian capital of Cairo soon, a senior Fatah official said on Tuesday.