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Haniyeh briefs Abbas on prisoner swap

Arab World Materials 13 October 2011 09:57 (UTC +04:00)
President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from the Gaza-based prime minister Ismail Haniyeh
Haniyeh briefs Abbas on prisoner swap

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from the Gaza-based prime minister Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday to inform him about the details of the swap deal, officials said, Maan reported


Abbas and Haniyeh exchanged congratulations for the coming release of Palestinian detainees, a statement from the Hamas-led cabinet said.

Abbas was quoted as saying "I welcome this deal which we were awaiting for a long time". He expressed hopes that all detainees would be released one day, and thanked Egypt for its role in the deal.

Hamas and Fatah are set to meet in Cairo on Wednesday, Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said.

"The meeting was scheduled before, but some Hamas officials and spokesman's negative statements in the Gaza Strip affected setting the date," al-Ahmad told Voice of Palestine radio.

Al-Ahmad said he will meet with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and his deputy Musa Abu Marzouk to discuss details of the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

The meeting will also discuss the implementation of the reconciliation deal signed on May 4, which aimed to end the animosity which has split Palestinian politics since 2007.

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