Abbas says Egypt to relaunch Palestinian reconciliation talks
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Egypt plans to relaunch reconciliation talks between his Fatah faction and Hamas group which controls Gaza, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday.
Speaking after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Abbas told reporters Egypt would start coordinating Fatah-Hamas talks immediately. He added that he has no preconditions for the dialogue.
Abbas' new willingness to enter new talks with Hamas came after he vowed for more than a year not to talk with the Islamist movement unless it first gave up control of the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has frequently mediated in disputes between Palestinian factions.
Sunday's meeting came two days after a mysterious car bombing killed six people in Gaza and sparked the toughest Hamas crackdown against its Fatah rivals in months.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on whether it would accept Egypt's offer.