Progress in Palestinian reconciliation soon: Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that the next few days will witness concrete steps for implementing a recent reconciliation deal between the Fatah party and the Hamas movement.

"We will start to implement what we have agreed upon during the upcoming few days," Xinhua quoted Abbas telling a meeting held to mark the founding of Jerusalem Fund in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The steps, he said, will include the formation of a technocratic government and later setting dates for general elections.

"Setting the elections date is the most important point that will ensure and strengthen the national unity," Abbas said.

Last week, rival Palestinian Hamas movement and Fatah party announced a reconciliation agreement after two days of discussions in the Gaza Strip.

Under the agreement, Abbas would start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks and call for general elections six months after forming the new administration.

Meanwhile, Abbas said he is ready to extend the faltering US mediated peace talks if Israel releases the final group of long- term Palestinian prisoners, freezes settlement construction and agrees to define the borders of a future Palestinian state within the next three months.

The nine-month US-sponsored peace negotiation came to an end Tuesday without achieving any tangible progress.