A veteran Palestinian negotiator visited the United States to promote an upcoming Palestinian unity government that will also comprise Islamic Hamas movement, well-informed sources said on Monday.

The sources said that the negotiator, Saeb Erekat, kept a low profile in his visit to Washington where he held intensive meetings with American officials to urge them deal with the government.

The discussions on the formation of the government will resume this week in Egypt as part of the inter-Palestinian dialogue that aims at reconciling Hamas and the western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

The former US administration led an international campaign to isolate Hamas after the Islamic movement won the parliamentary elections in 2006 for refusing to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

A year later, feud between Hamas and Fatah developed into fighting when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip and set up its own regime there. While Abbas consolidated his rule in the West Bank and formed a government that was not put for confidence voting before the Hamas-dominated parliament.

The Palestinian factions agreed on forming a transitional unity government but they still talk about its program. Fatah wants the government to meet the international demands of abiding by peace while Hamas says it cannot accept a government that recognizes Israel in any way.