Fayyad won't lead new government

Senior member of Fatah's Central Committee, Azzam al-Ahmad has quashed speculation that former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad would form the new Palestinian government in the West Bank. Speaking to Arabstoday, Ahmad said that the Palestinian faction would announce the formation of the new regime very shortly. The Fatah official disclosed that the identity of the new prime minister would also be made public in due course, although he denied that a decision had been made. Ahmad claimed that the new government in West Bank is separate to the national unity government which both Fatah and Hamas officials had agreed to form during meetings in Cairo. The West Bank government is expected to bring an end to "the current state of vacuum," Ahmad explained, adding that the government would resign upon the formation of a national unity government. "The Palestinian Authority (PA) holds the national unity government in higher regard," he said. Arabstoday understands that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would form a temporary government to succeed Fayyad’s establishment in June. Although Fayyad is in line to part of the new set-up, Abbas is facing serious pressure from Fatah representatives to leave the former PM on the sidelines. Political observers feel that Fayyad's absence from the new government could significantly undermine donor countries' support for the PA, an assertion Ahmad has flatly denied.