Palestinian gov't says handover process in Gaza not completed

RAMALLAH, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian government spokesperson Yousef Al-Mahmoud said Monday that the government had not fully taken over its power from the Hamas authorities over the Gaza Strip.

Mahmoud stressed that the government is keen on completing the handover process to perform its duties, however, there are still some obstacles that disturb the government's full empowerment, including the return of old public sector employees.

The most recent obstacle, he explained, is the cease of the tax collection process which was scheduled to start on Dec. 10, making it difficult for the government to pay the public salaries.

He called on Hamas, which had been running the Gaza Strip for the past 10 years, to reactivate the tax collection and to assist through the process of the national reconciliation.

On Oct. 12, Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party signed in Cairo a reconciliation agreement, which called on the Islamic movement to hand over its power to the consensus government headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

According to the agreement, Hamas was scheduled to transfer power in Gaza to the Palestinian government on Dec. 1, however, the two rivals agreed to postpone the handover until Dec. 10, to allow more time to settle all details. Enditem