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Abbas to visit Cairo for Palestinian
reconciliation talks
Sunday January 06, 2013 09:33:19 AM,
IANS
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Ramallah: Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Egypt next Wednesday to discuss
resuming talks with Islamic Hamas movement for achieving internal
reconciliation and ending division between the Gaza Strip and West
Bank, Palestinian officials said Saturday.
Abbas' office said in a press statement that Abbas told Egypt's
ambassador to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) during a
meeting held in Ramallah that he is looking forward to meet with
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, reported Xinhua.
Well-informed official Palestinian sources said that the meeting
between Abbas and Morsi would tackle the efforts of seeking
reconciliation between Fatah and its rival Hamas which had been
ruling the Gaza Strip since its violent takeover of the enclave in
2007.
The sources said that Abbas reiterated to the Egyptian ambassador
that Fatah is concerned about implementation the understandings
and agreements reached in Cairo and Qatar, adding that Abbas
refused any new initiatives to be added to the signed
understandings.
The sources told Xinhua that Abbas asked the Egyptian ambassador
to exert more pressure on Hamas to immediately implement those
understandings and prepare the atmosphere for holding general
elections.
Abbas' planned visit to Cairo comes amid positive signs of ending
the division between the two rival groups.
Fatah allowed Hamas celebrate its 25th anniversary in December
2012, while Hamas let Fatah mark its 48-year anniversary on
Friday. The Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are
waiting for more practical steps toward unity.
Jamal Muheisen, a member of Fatah Central Committee, told Xinhua
that the huge turnout of Fatah supporters in the rally held in
Gaza on Friday "sent a clear message to Hamas movement... (and)
should lead to pushing forward the principle of ending division
without postponement."
Earlier Saturday, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas government in
Gaza, called for active meetings with rival Fatah to resume unity
discussions. "I call for serious meetings to achieve strong and
unbreakable national unity," Haneya said in a press statement.
Commenting on the Fatah celebration of its 48th anniversary in
Gaza Friday, Haniyeh said his government wanted to use this event
to achieve unity based on protecting national principles,
political partnership and social forgiveness. He spoke with Abbas
via telephone on Friday.
Meanwhile, Salah el-Bardaweel, member of Hamas politburo, told
Xinhua that the large number of Fatah supporters in Gaza "is not
in our consideration. What we so much concerned about is the
behaviour and the political programmes of Fatah. We want to agree
on a joint national programme to liberate our occupied lands, but
unfortunately Fatah hasn't presented anything concerning this
principle."
Hamas leaders slammed the Fatah organizers of the rally, accusing
that they didn't mention anything about armed resistance against
Israeli occupation, and that they didn't withdraw from "
humiliating" peace agreements signed between Fatah and Israel.
However, Abbas delivered a speech to the rally which was also
aired on Palestine Television. "There is no alternative to unity,
reconciliation and ending the bitter division," Abbas said. "I
will be in Gaza soon to shake your hands one by one."
Al-Bardaweel, however, said there are no practical steps by Abbas
or his Fatah toward ending division, adding that "Hamas activities
in the West Bank are still restricted, and the arrests against its
members and activists are still going on."
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