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Hamas chief says ready to end inter-Palestinian rift

Arab World Materials 6 September 2009 20:18 (UTC +04:00)
Hamas chief says ready to end inter-Palestinian rift

Hamas is ready to work with Egypt to end the inter-Palestinian rift, local Nile TV quoted visiting Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal as saying on Sunday, Xinhua reported.

"For a long time, we told the brothers in Egypt that you can end the detainees' file and Hamas is ready to work with you to achieve that," Meshaal said after a meeting in Cairo with Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa.

"Hamas is serious in offering the reconciliation requirements and the detainees file is the top priority," Meshaal said.

On Saturday night, Meshaal held talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman on the Egyptian efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and to hear the latest proposals on settling internal Palestinian political strife and exchanging prisoners between Hamas and Israel.

Egypt has been mediating between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement to reunite them under a unity government ruling the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The political split between the two geographically-divided territories widened in 2007 when Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and Abbas consolidated his power in the West Bank afterwards.

The rival Palestinian groups held several rounds of talks in Cairo since February but they failed to make any progress in reaching a reconciliation deal.

Hamas captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006 and is demanding release of him in exchange for a number of Palestinian and Arab prisoners.

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