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Fatah, Hamas meet in Cairo on reconciliation talks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-11 14:57

CAIRO -- Representatives of rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas held talks here on Tuesday for the resumption of an inter-Palestinian national unity dialogue.

The meeting was attended by head of Fatah's parliamentary bloc Azam al-Ahmad, the group's spokesman Ahmed Abdel-Rahman and Hamas senior officials Gamal Abu-Hashim and Ayman Taha, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.

Under the sponsorship of Egypt, the Palestinian reconciliation talks were scheduled for Feb. 22 and Egypt has invited various Palestinian factions to attend the talks.

Following the meeting on Feb. 22, five committees formed following talks in last November will tackle the details of the inter-Palestinian unity on Feb. 28, said MENA, citing well-placed Palestinian sources as saying.

Last November, Hamas thwarted an Egyptian attempt to launch the inter-Palestinian dialogue, saying it can not sit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas while his security forces cracked down on Hamas supporters in the West Bank.

Egypt has also been exerting efforts to broker a long-term truce between Gaza ruler Hamas and Israel following unilateral ceasefires of the two sides on Jan. 18.