Palestinian factions, meeting in Cairo to iron out long-standing grievances
have agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in 2010.
Palestinian negotiators have agreed to hold new parliamentary and
presidential elections in 2010, and talks continue in the Egyptian capital to
reconcile the feuding Fatah and Hamas factions and form a new national unity
government.
The Egyptian government, which is overseeing the
negotiations, is pushing to get the rival factions to resolve their differences.
The talks are expected to continue Tuesday.
Fatah negotiator Nabil Sha'ath indicated the
talks had made progress over "some details", while others "remain to be
resolved," before a final report can be drafted.
Five committees,
including each of the key Palestinian factions, have been meeting to work out an
agreement over a new unity government, presidential and parliamentary elections,
inter-Palestinian reconciliation, and the restructuring of security
forces.
As talks in Cairo continued, the European Union called for the
quick formation of a unity government, and the reopening of passages into Gaza,
in order to begin rebuilding the war-torn territory.
European officials
met in Brussels with Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, acting
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Maliki, and Jordanian officials to discuss
the reconciliation issue.
Last month more than $5-million was raised by
international donor states to rebuild Gaza during a conference in the Egyptian
resort town of Sharm el Sheikh. But the donors said forming a new government is
critical for the rebuilding to begin.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum
told al-Jazeera TV that "relative progress has been made over key issues," and
that he hoped an overall agreement "will be reached soon."
Arab League
spokesman Hesham Yussif indicates that talks are progressing in a positive
manner.
"The environment in which these talks are taking place is a
positive environment and progress has been achieved on all fronts in relation to
the five committees that were formed to address the various elements of
disagreements between different Palestinian political forces," said Yussif.
"There are a few issues that are remaining, particularly in relation to the
formation of the government."
Analyst Emad Gad, of the Al Ahram Center
for Strategic Studies, says the formation of a new government is not a simple
matter and could take a long time to resolve.
"I think that the main problem is the new government, so till now they do not
reach an agreement concerning the new government, will it be a factional
government or just a technocrat government," said Gad, "so, I think this is the
main issue. Concerning the new elections, I think they will not go to the
elections, it will be postponed many times, but, the main issue will be the
Palestinian government."
Hamas and the Fatah movement of Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have been at odds since an agreement to form a
unity government reached in Mecca in February 2006 fell apart. Hamas over-ran
the Gaza Strip shortly thereafter in June of 2006.