Reports say rival Palestinian factions have agreed to name Palestinian National Authority President Mahmud Abbas as the head of an interim government to oversee preparations for Palestinian presidential and legislative elections.
The deal was reportedly reached during negotiations in Qatar on February 5 between Abbas, who is the leader of the secular Fatah movement, and Khaled Meshaal, the leader of the Hamas Islamist movement, which controls the Gaza Strip.
The Qatar meeting followed a reconciliation agreement signed by the two factions in April.
Under the terms of the reconciliation deal, parliamentary and presidential elections are both to be held by May.
Compiled from agency reports
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