Fatah-Hamas talks set for Oct 25 in Cairo
Fatah and Hamas will meet in Cairo on October 25 for Egyptian-mediated talks aimed at forming a Palestinian transitional government acceptable to the rival factions, Hamas said yesterday.
"Fatah and Hamas will meet on October 25 in Cairo under Egyptian mediation to resolve their differences on how to reach reconciliation and end the current Palestinian divisions," senior Hamas official Mahmud al-Zahar told AFP.
Zahar was speaking after talks on Wednesday with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, the latest in a series of such meetings with a dozen Palestinian factions, including the secular Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas.
Egypt has been acting as a mediator between Fatah and Hamas after the Islamist party, which won a majority in parliamentary elections in 2006, seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, routing forces loyal to Fatah.
The Egyptian proposal includes a transitional government made up of ministers acceptable to all factions and a restructuring of Palestinian security forces with Arab oversight.
The proposal also provides for new parliamentary and presidential elections.
Hamas has said it will not recognise Palestinian Authority president Abbas after his mandate ends in January. But on Wednesday, Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said the Islamist party would be willing to place "elections on the table for negotiation".
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