Abbas Arrives in Cairo for Reconciliation Talks with Hamas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on the formation of a national unity government, the official MENA agency reported.
The long-time rivals have been struggling to implement the terms of a reconciliation deal signed in Cairo in May, which calls for the formation of an interim government of independents to pave the way for presidential and legislative elections within a year.
Representatives from both Abbas' Fatah and Hamas movements have met multiple times to try to hammer out a final line-up for the government and agree on who would head it.
Earlier on Wednesday, members of Hamas' leadership said the deal must be implemented in a "thorough and honest" way.
"We stress the need for thorough and honest implementation of the reconciliation agreements of Cairo and Doha to end the division and unify the national front," they said in a statement after meeting in Cairo.
A lengthy disagreement about the post of prime minister appeared to have been resolved in early February, when Abbas and Meshaal signed a deal in Qatar that put the president at the head of the interim government.
The government line-up was to have been announced shortly afterwards, but the Doha agreement was met with opposition from Gaza-based members of Hamas, as well as some officials in the Fatah-controlled West Bank.
The Cairo talks come before Abbas and Meshaal are to take part in two rounds of meetings with the leadership of all the Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, on Thursday and Friday.
It remains unclear when the final government line-up will be announced and elections held.
Source: Agence France Presse
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