Fatah delegation in Cairo as new Hamas reconciliation talks open

Jul 9, 2007, 16:35 GMT

Cairo - Fresh discussions opened in Cairo Monday between Fatah and the Egyptian leadership on latest developments in the Palestinian territories and the possibility of reconciliation with militant Hamas.

A senior Arab League source said a high-profile delegation, including Palestinian Fatah leaders and negotiators Rowhy Fatouh, Ahmed Qarei and Yasser Abd Rabou, was briefed on the 'Egyptian perspective' of the Palestinian conflict.

Independent observers had said that Egypt was not content with President Mahmoud Abbas' firm stance against Hamas, whose organisation has taken control of the Gaza Strip.

Fatah's Abbas had dismissed the Hamas-led unity government and set up an emergency administration in its place, headed by a political independent and based in the West Bank.

The West Bank interim government has refused dialogue with Hamas ever since, and has even entertained the possibility of international deployment to restore security to the Gaza Strip and hold early elections without resistance from its rival.

Hamas immediately responded by saying that any international deployment would be considered 'occupation' and would be fiercely fought.

Matters worsened last Tuesday when Hamas claimed that the Fatah- dominated security forces of Abbas were behind a campaign of arrests directed against Hamas supporters in the West Bank.

Besides rounding-up 'hundreds' of Hamas activists in the West Bank in the nearly three weeks since Hamas seized full control of the Gaza Strip, the security forces used 'torture' against its arrested members, Hamas alleged.

The Islamist militant group had called members of the Palestinian Authority (PA) 'traitors and conspirators' following these allegations.

After the release of half of the 700 million Palestinian tax revenues and aid, frozen in 2006 by Israeli authorities, Abbas had nonetheless refused to cash first aid salaries to all civil servants with affiliations with Hamas, despite witnessing the so-called 'starvation phase' that the Palestinian territories passed through.

In Monday's state-owned al-Ahram newspaper, Abbas said that blocking the salaries was a 'warning message' to those who do not respect legitimacy.

Abbas reiterated his stance regarding Hamas. 'No negotiations with Hamas (will take place) until the situation returns as it was before the coup it held in the (Gaza) strip,' Abbas was quoted by al-Ahram as saying.

'Dividing the West Bank and Gaza is not acceptable,' he said adding that the 'coup' that Hamas carried out was 'planned for.'

Abbas' last statement could be in response to a statement by Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in which he said that in his 'personal opinion', Hamas did not intend to take over Gaza, but rather things had got 'out of control,' ending in the assumption of power.

According to the Arab League sources, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abul-Gheit would be discussing the so-called Egyptian perspective with the American leadership during his visit to Washington also taking place Monday.

Abul-Gheit was scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, plus members of Congress and former policy makers, to discuss the top regional issues - including the deadlock in the Palestinian territories.

Abul-Gheit was also scheduled to visit Israel, joined by Jordan's King Abdullah, to discuss jump-starting the Saudi-backed Arab peace initiative, reintroduced during last March's Arab Summit in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, also on the talks agenda between Egypt and Fatah was a much-anticipated prisoner-swap deal.

According to the Arab League sources, Fatah were informed of ongoing talks on a deal between Hamas and Egyptian mediators that lately included an offer by Ofer Dekel, an envoy of Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert.

Dekel, according to an Arab League source and some newspaper reports, proposed to Egyptian Intelligence Head Omar Suleiman a list of names of imprisoned Hamas members to be released in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

But according to the pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper's Monday edition, Hamas had already refused Dekel's suggestion.

Al-Hayat said that 'avoiding disagreements' between members of the popular resistance committees 'who contributed to the soldiers' capture' was the main reason.

Despite Hamas' stringent position, Egypt has still been holding talks with all parties involved, all the while intensifying its efforts to include Palestinian leader Marwan al-Barghouti among the prisoners to be swapped with Shalit.

Three-way negotiations meanwhile started Monday between Israelis, Palestinians and Egyptians regarding a group of Palestinians who are stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, closed on June 9 following infighting between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza.

Last Saturday around 100 Palestinians went on a hunger strike in protest for not being able to return to their homes in Gaza Strip.

According to Arab League sources, the possibility of letting this group of Palestinians pass through Karam Abu Salem crossing was being discussed.