Hamas delegation in Cairo ahead of Palestinian reconciliation talks

Feb 24, 2009, 18:44 GMT

Cairo - A delegation from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas arrived in Cairo late on Tuesday from Damascus ahead of inter- Palestinian reconciliation talks being hosted by Egypt.

The seven-member delegation, headed by Mussa Abu Marzouq, deputy of Hamas' exiled political leader Khaled Meshaal, is to meet with Egyptian mediators during the visit.

Another Hamas delegation from the densely-populated Gaza Strip, headed by senior member Mahmoud al-Zahar, was also due to participate in the talks.

The Hamas officials were scheduled to meet with a delegation from the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, that was also expected to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday night. The Fatah delegation, from Ramallah in the West Bank, is headed by former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia.

Hamas, which does not recognize Israel, violently ousted the Western-backed, secular Fatah movement from the Gaza Strip in June 2007, confining it to the West Bank.

Both groups have showed the will to make recently. The Cairo meeting is aimed at bridging their differences.

The meeting will be their first since November, when Hamas walked out of negotiations brokered by Egypt, demanding that Fatah first stops arresting Hamas members.