Hamas meets with new Egyptian FM in Cairo

[ 30/03/2011 - 08:25 AM ]

CAIRO, (PIC)-- A delegation from Hamas met Tuesday with the new Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi to discuss Egypt's role in Palestinian issues following the ouster of the former regime that ruled for more than thirty years.

Hamas has praised Arabi's positions warning of the fresh Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Israeli Gaza siege.

The delegation that included Hamas politburo member and co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar and Khalil al-Hayya said they sensed during the visit a new Egyptian policy that would take shape in the next few days.

”Many promises were made to us during the meeting...we agreed on all points regarding inter-Palestinian reconciliation, even the practical points we will take with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah to reach reconciliation,” said Zahar.

”In the next few days we will see Egypt's vision on dealing with the Rafah crossing and the Palestinian issue, so we really consider the visit positive. We raised a lot of issues, including the Palestinians stranded in Libya, those detained in the Egyptian prisons and the issues of the border crossings, reconciliation and the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians.”

Separately, Zahar said that security reasons have prevented Mahmoud Abbas from visiting the Gaza Strip, as called for by Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya in response to protests demanding national unity.

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