Abbas proposed as PM in interim unity government

Hamas on Sunday endorsed a proposal by Qatar that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assume the role of prime minister in an interim Palestinian unity government that would prepare for general elections in the West Bank and Gaza, according to two officials close to the contacts.

Such an arrangement, proposed by Qatar's emir, would help Abbas and his main political rival, the Islamic militant Hamas, clear a major hurdle in slow-moving attempts to reconcile. (AP)