Palestinian rivals to respect polls results

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas said Tuesday they had agreed on "mechanisms" for forthcoming elections and to respect their outcome, after years of bitter divisions. In a joint statement on the second day of talks between Palestinian factions in Cairo, they said they had agreed a timeline for the polls and "committed to respecting and accepting their results".The deal provides for an "electoral court" with exclusive jurisdiction over the electoral process and any cases arising from the elections. The parliamentary and presidential polls are set for May 22 and July 31, respectively.