Hamas boss calls for reconciliation

FROM a hideout in Gaza, the head of the Hamas government called for reconciliation between bitterly divided Palestinian factions and expressed hope for better relations with the US.

Ismail Haniyeh’s comments in an Al-Jazeera TV interview were his first public ones since Israel and Hamas militants declared separate cease-fires on January 18, ending a blistering three-week Israeli offensive.

In his interview with Al-Jazeera TV, Prime Minister Haniyeh said reconciliation was Hamas’ “main aim” right now. He also expressed hope that ties between the US and the Islamic world would rebound after suffering during the Bush administration.