PARIS, Feb 24: French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday that an agreement to form a Palestinian unity government was a `first step’ towards meeting conditions for lifting international sanctions.

Presidential spokesman Jerome Bonnafont said Chirac “confirmed France's backing for the idea of a national unity government and said that the Makkah agreement constitutes the first step towards meeting the conditions of the quartet”.

The so-called quartet group -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- in steering international peace efforts in the Middle East.

It imposed sanctions on the Palestinian government after Hamas came to power in March 2006 for its refusal to formally recognise Israel, accept existing peace agreements and renounce violence.

The Makkah agreement was reached on February 8 between Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. It struck a deal to form a Palestinian coalition government which would “respect” Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Mr Abbas said he hoped the embargo could be lifted.

“What we are asking is that the new government that will be formed will not be subject to the same embargo as the current government,” Mr Abbas told reporters.

“We hope that the embargo will be lifted.” If not, he said, “the Palestinian people will continue to suffer and the sanctions will continue to wreak havoc.”

Mr Abbas is in the midst of a European tour with visits to Germany, France, Britain and Brussels. His trip follows his meeting on Monday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

No concrete solution emerged from that meeting, but Mr Abbas said he refused to consider the situation as “completely hopeless”. “We must continue to work with the Israelis,” he said. “We are partners with the Israelis -- partners for peace.”

—AFP