Abbas and Meshaal to meet in Qatar Saturday, 04 February 2012 00:47

RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal will meet tomorrow in Qatar, Fatah party spokesman Azzam Al Ahmad said yesterday.

Abbas and Meshaal “will discuss forming a government and political questions after the failure of talks” with Israel, Ahmad said. A meeting bringing together all Palestinian leaders in Cairo originally set for February 2 had been delayed indefinitely, Ahmad added.

Tomorrow’s talks will address “reconciliation measures” as well as the planned Cairo meeting, the spokesman said without providing further details.

The head of the Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haniyah, is currently in Qatar on the first leg of a regional tour. Meshaal has decided not to run again this summer for the leadership of Hamas amid signs of strain within the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip.

Under the terms of a reconciliation deal signed by Hamas and Abbas’ secular Fatah movement last April, parliamentary and presidential elections are to be held by May. However, implementation of the deal has been delayed on several occasions despite repeated meetings between the parties involved.

Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) apologised yesterday to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his encounter with protestors, during his visit to the Gaza Strip.

“The Palestinian people always welcome officials who visit and intend to visit the Palestinian territories to witness suffering under Israeli occupation and siege, and to witness illegal Israeli actions that violate International Law”, PLO Executive Committee said in a statement issued here today.

Relatives of detainees held by Israel threw rocks and shoes at UN Secretary-General, during his recenty visit to the strip, for not meeting with them.

In Gaza, the Palestinian protesters on Thursday blocked the way of UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s motorcade at Erez border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza Strip.

Agencies

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