The Hamas-Fatah national unity agreement has “complicated” peacekeeping, Condoleezza Rice said. Speaking Thursday to reporters for major U.S. newspapers, the U.S. secretary of state said her summit next week with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was “obviously more complicated because of the uncertainties surrounding the national unity government.” Abbas, who heads the relatively moderate Fatah Party, ended weeks of internecine violence last week when he came to a power-sharing agreement with Hamas, a terrorist group; analysts say the agreement shows that Abbas conceded to most of Hamas’ terms. Hamas has agreed to “respect” past agreements with Israel, but that’s unlikely to satisfy international demands that a Palestinian government renounce terrorism and recognize Israel.
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