GAZA/ WEST BANK: Palestinian reconciliation talks due to begin on November 10 in Egypt are postponed after Fatah-Hamas dispute

Record ID: 785266

  • Title: GAZA/ WEST BANK: Palestinian reconciliation talks due to begin on November 10 in Egypt are postponed after Fatah-Hamas dispute
  • Date: 9th November 2008
  • Summary: (W3) GAZA CITY, GAZA (NOVEMBER 8) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HAMAS SPOKESPERSON AYMAN TAHA, SITTING IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS SPOKESPERSON AYMAN TAHA, SAYING: "This is not true. Hamas did not boycott the dialogue, but is cautious regarding the success of the dialogue. And Hamas's caution for success of the dialogue is dependent on setting the right atmosphere for it and that is what we have informed our brothers in Egypt; that we will attend the dialogue provided that all the political prisoners are released from the Ramallah prisons and the campaign of arrests is stopped. Otherwise it's true, if the campaign of arrests does not stop and all political prisoners are not released then we will not attend the dialogue. We do not want to go back to the Mecca agreement that failed after days of signing. We want the Cairo dialogue to succeed and its success is dependent on the release of all the political prisoners and stopping of all the campaigns in the West Bank." MORE OF AL TAHA (W3) RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 8) (REUTERS) WIDE OF AIDE TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS, YASSER ABED RABO AT NEWS CONFERENCE REPORTERS AT CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) AIDE TO PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS, YASSER ABED RABO, SAYING: "The Hamas boycott of the unity talks in Cairo is a political decision from regional countries (meaning Syria and Iran) whose objective is to kill the Egyptian effort." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS RABO ON STAGE (W3) JENIN, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 8) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE MEETING PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD DURING A FIRST EVER VISIT FROM U.S SECRETARY TO JENIN CITY RICE AND FAYYAD AT NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD, SAYING: "What we call for once again is to stay away from putting conditions and leave aside procrastination and move forward towards ending the state of division and deal positively with the elements that Egypt has reached." MORE OF RICE AND FAYYAD DURING PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE RICE SAYING: "The process of coming to peace that Annapolis launched, of course, does have a political element that will deal with the final status issues and core issues and the parties are discussing those issues for the first time in almost in a decade and they are making progress and they will report to the Quartet about that progress tomorrow." RICE AND FAYYAD SHAKING HANDS
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAF5LA43DGRZIPNT1TCL47ZQI47
  • Story Text: Palestinian reconciliation talks which were scheduled to begin in Egypt are postponed after Fatah-Hamas dispute worsens.
    Egypt decided on Saturday (November 8) to delay Palestinian reconciliation talks scheduled for this week, an Egyptian source said, after a new dispute arose between Hamas and Fatah over the terms for holding the dialogue.
    An Egyptian source told Reuters in Cairo that Egypt decided to delay the Palestinian dialogue meetings, after Hamas officials said they may boycott Monday's (November 10) talks aimed at ending their conflict with President Mahmoud Abbas's faction.
    Egypt had invited Hamas and Fatah and smaller Palestinian factions to talks to try to heal a rivalry that burst into open conflict when Hamas violently seized control of Gaza last year.
    Hamas was angered further when Abbas embarked on peace talks with Israel, the Jewish state Hamas refuses to recognise.
    Hamas officials in Cairo said the group objected to sitting down with Fatah if Abbas failed to free some 400 Hamas members and sympathisers he had jailed with Western and Israeli backing.

    "We have informed our brothers in Egypt; that we will attend the dialogue provided that all the political prisoners are released from the Ramallah prisons and the campaign of arrests is stopped. Otherwise it's true, if the campaign of arrests does not stop and all political prisoners are not released then we will not attend the dialogue," Hamas official Ayman Taha told Reuters.
    At a news conference in Ramallah on Saturday, senior aide to Abbas, Yasser Abed Rabo, said "the Hamas boycott of the unity talks in Cairo is a political decision from regional countries (meaning Syria and Iran) whose objective is to kill the Egyptian effort."
    Abbas, who with Israeli and Western backing has beefed up forces in West Bank cities, has arrested Palestinian militants in what he calls a move to restore law and order and has made no indication he would free any Palestinians jailed.
    Hamas has rejected Abbas's insistence any joint government stick to previous Palestinian commitments. The group refuses to recognise the Jewish state or its right to exist, while Abbas, with Western backing, has been negotiating for Palestinian statehood on land Israel captured in a 1967 war.
    At a news conference held in the West Bank city of Jenin together with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian Prime minister Salam Fayyad called for Hamas to "stay away from putting conditions and leave aside procrastination and move forward towards ending the state of division and deal positively with the elements that Egypt has reached."
    Later on Saturday, Rice will travel to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- will be briefed by both sides.
    U.S. officials said Rice has no plan to float her own proposals to strive for a last-minute deal.
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