UNITED NATIONS, April 25 (Xinhua) -- In meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday, UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry welcomed the reconciliation process to be implemented after a deal was announced between Abbas' Fatah party and the Hamas movement.

That was disclosed by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a regular briefing at the UN headquarters in New York Friday.

Dujarric quoted Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, as saying that he "was assured that this agreement will be implemented under the leadership of the President and on the basis of the PLO commitments."

During the meeting, Serry confirmed "the United Nations continued support for unity on this basis as the only way to reunite the West Bank and Gaza under one legitimate Palestinian Authority, welcoming this process which includes long-overdue Palestinian elections." He also "underlined the importance for the parties, at this critical juncture, to refrain from measures that run counter to creating an environment for continued meaningful negotiations."

Under an agreement announced Wednesday, the Fatah party and the Hamas movement will start discussions to form a unity government within five weeks and hold general parliamentary and presidential elections within six months.

The agreement, largely hailed by Palestinian factions, " disappointed" and irked Israel and the United States, both of which have branded the Hamas movement as a terrorist group.