RAMALLAH: A senior Hamas official yesterday said that the inter-Palestinian reconciliation dialogue would resume in Cairo on April 26.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman said in a press statement that “the date of the dialogue, April 26, is still set.”
The official added that he hopes Fatah movement will attend the talks with good intentions starting with stopping the arrest campaigns against Hamas members and supporters in the West Bank.
The talks aim at forming a unity government that restores political ties to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as well as end the split following Hamas’ violent takeover of Gaza in 2007.
Hamas and Fatah have agreed on forming a transitional government and holding elections in January 2010. However, they failed to agree on the government’s platform and the electoral law.
Hamas said it couldn’t join or form any government that would meet the Quartet’s requirements of recognizing Israel, abiding by peace deals and renouncing violence. Fatah argues that the government must accept these conditions in order to enjoy an international recognition in order to end around two years of Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and an international embargo on Hamas-led government.
Hamas presented on Monday three options to end the ongoing impasse of forming a new unity government so as to end the current rift with rival Fatah movement.
