RAMALLAH: A senior Fatah official yesterday said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Middle East peace later this month, to protest against the Arab League chief Amr Moussa for not blaming Hamas movement on the failure of inter-Palestinian dialogue.
Azzam Al-Ahmad, head of Fatah parliamentary bloc, said in a press statement “Moussa promised that he will announce who was the party that blocked the reconciliation but he did not meet his promise.”
Egypt postponed Palestinian reconciliation dialogue, which was due to start in Cairo on Nov. 9, after Hamas boycotted the initiative. The dialogue aimed at reconciling Hamas and Fatah and ending the political split between Gaza Strip and West Bank which followed Hamas’ violent seizure of the Gaza Strip last year.
Ahmad said that Saeb Erekat, the head of Palestine Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Department, will lead the Palestinian Authority delegation to the meeting in Cairo on Nov. 26. Erekat will brief the Arab ministers about the results of the peace talks with the Israelis and the meetings with the representatives of the Quartet: the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.
Moussa said earlier that Abbas will be invited to the meeting. However, sources said that Abbas’ decision not to attend the meeting was made after Moussa accepted to discuss Hamas’ request with the Arab ministers.
