RIYADH: Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who held talks with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Sunday, called on Saudi Arabia to play a “special role” in Palestinian reconciliation and, together with the international community, exert more pressure on Israel for the sake of peace and security in the region.
In his talks with the Saudi leadership, the Hamas leader gave an update on his party’s contact with the rival Palestinian group Fatah. Hamas rules the Gaza Strip, which was bombed and severely damaged by an Israeli military offensive in late 2008. Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in June 2007 after winning Palestinian legislative elections. President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority runs the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas is not part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which was founded in 1964 and is recognized internationally as the representative body of the Palestinians.
Meshaal said that his party was “in the final stages of achieving reconciliation with Fatah.” He also said that Hamas had some reservations concerning the document presented by Egypt for unifying the two Palestinian parties. “We still hope that the Kingdom will play a special role alongside Egypt and other Arab countries to help Palestinian in reaching reconciliation, unifying the Palestinian position and prompting Arabs to confront the Israeli administration,” Meshaal said. “We have made great strides toward reconciliation,” said the Hamas leader, after his meeting with Saudi officials. “We are in the final stages now with all problems being solved,” said Meshaal in a reference to the efforts of Saudi and Egyptian officials who have been trying to broker a truce.
An Egyptian proposal to promote reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah has called for presidential and legislative elections to be held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip next June.
Meshaal said that Hamas still had some reservations about the Egyptian proposal. “We all agree that the signing of the (reconciliation) will take place in Cairo,” he added.
Meshaal’s visit follows talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Abbas last week. The visit took place a day after Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers threw their weight behind a joint effort to bring the stalled peace process back on track. Speaking about Prince Saud’s talks with Meshaal, a Foreign Ministry official said the visit of the Hamas leader and his meeting with senior Saudi officials “was designed to help with Palestinian reconciliation and peace negotiations.”
Meshaal’s trip comes ahead of the visit of US President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell to the Kingdom.
