Discussions will include make-up of interim gov't, unifying Fatah-run W. Bank with Hamas-controlled Gaza, preparations for a general elections.
By REUTERSHaniyeh and Abbas 521(photo credit: REUTERS)
CAIRO - Talks between Hamas and Fatah to hammer out details of a joint Palestinian government began in Cairo on Monday after Egypt brokered a deal to end their four-year feud.The discussions center on the make-up of an interim government unifying the Fatah-run West Bank with the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas, and on preparations for a general election within a year.RELATED:Abbas: Opportunity for historic peace deal still exists PA confirms receipt of NIS 370m. in tax funds from IsraelOpportunity missed, opportunity made The deal, denounced by Israel, was brokered in secret. The split between the two factions has hindered their quest to achieve a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders."The meeting will discuss means of implementing what was agreed upon in the reconciliation pact," Egypt's official news agency MENA reported, citing Azzam al-Ahmad, the head of Fatah's negotiating team in Cairo.The two sides will discuss forming a government composed of "qualified and independent" members as well as moving toward reviving the Palestinian National Council, MENA reported.The Palestinian National Council is equivalent to the Palestine Liberation Organization's parliament, representing Palestinians inside and outside the Palestinian territories.It has not met for years.Hamas and Fatah will also broach divisive issues such as the fate of prisoners held by either faction, MENA said.
