The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) rejected on Wednesday the line-up of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)-led cabinet that was presented to President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday.

Well-informed Palestinian sources said that the PLO executive committee made the decision after it held a meeting in Ramallah on whether to verify the Hamas-led cabinet or reject it.

Hamas Prime Minister-designate Ismail Haneya on Sunday presented his cabinet's political platform and the list of the ministers to Abbas who said the line-up would be presented to the PLO executive committee within 48 hours.

According to the sources, the PLO rejects the Hamas cabinet's political platform because it contradicts with the platform of the PLO, which is based on the Declaration of Independence made in Algeria in November 1988 calling for a peace solution to the Palestine issue and an implementation of UN Security Council's concerned resolutions.

Hamas has also rejected to include in its cabinet platform a clear text about the PLO mentioning that the PLO is the Palestinians' sole and legitimate representative, which has made all other Palestinian parties and factions in the parliament rejected to join the Hamas-led cabinet.

Hamas, which secured 74 seats in the 132-member PLC (parliament), decided to form a 24-member cabinet after its efforts to bring forward a national unity government failed four weeks after Haneya was designated by President Abbas to form the next cabinet on Feb.21.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)