CAIRO, Egypt, Sept 23, SPA -- Efforts to form a Palestinian government acceptable to the West have gone «back to zero,» Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday. Abbas' remarks came a day after Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from the Hamas groupdeclared that he would not lead a coalition that recognizesIsrael. The Palestinian president's Fatah Party and Hamas hadagreed earlier this month in principle to form a nationalunity government, having made a deal that said thegovernment would seek to establish a Palestinian statealongside Israel, which implies recognition. On Thursday Abbas, addressed the United Nations saying that a national unity government would recognize the Jewish state. He told journalists in Cairo Saturday, following talkswith Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, that «backtrackingtook place» on the negotiations. «Sadly, we are back to zero,» he said. The «backtracking» weakened Abbas' position at the U.N., he said, explaining his failure to obtain a commitment for the relaunching of the peace process. «The United States and European countries didn't see inany of such situations what help build a national unitygovernment,» Abbas said of his appearance and meetings atthe U.N., the Associated Press reported.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/391874