Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Hamas, Fatah resume talks in Cairo next Tuesday in presence of Abbas, Mishaal

[ 14/06/2011 - 06:05 PM ]
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Representatives of Hamas and Fatah factions concluded a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday with no apparent progress in their reconciliation talks.

They agreed on holding another meeting next Tuesday in the presence of PA chief and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal.
Ezzet Al-Resheq, member of Hamas political bureau, said that today’s meeting was positive, adding that the issue of political detainees was discussed. He elaborated that both agreed on wrapping up this file and setting up a mechanism to follow it up.
He pointed out that each party handed the other a list of detainees who were not released and reasons for that and that both would then discuss the matter.
As far as the formation of the government was concerned, Resheq said that they discussed candidates to the post of premier and agreed to resume discussing the issue in the presence of Abbas and Mishaal next week. He underlined that Hamas affirmed its rejection of Salam Fayyad as premier during the meeting.
Director of the Egyptian intelligence Murad Muwafi and the official in charge of the Palestine file in the intelligence Mohammed Ibrahim attended the meeting.

Resheq: Hamas committed to unity, seeks end to political arrests
[ 14/06/2011 - 12:52 PM ]
 

CAIRO, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas politburo official Izzat al-Resheq said his party is determined to follow through with the reconciliation deal signed with Fatah, but the West Bank political prisoners issue must be finalized as it has a negative impact on the reconciliation deal.
The statement came Tuesday moments before Fatah and Hamas representatives convened in Cairo to discuss the political prisoners issue, as agreed upon in the unity deal signed in early May.
The parties will also discuss who will stand in as prime minister of an interim government ahead of elections slated for September.
”We hope this issue will be settled today without obstacles. The government's head and prime minister will be determined with agreement and full consent of both parties,” Resheq said.
In Gaza, Palestinian legislator Ismail al-Ashqar has called on parties meeting in Cairo to make talks to be based on parallelism ”in order for the national reconciliation to become a reality and not just slogans sung by some”.
”The philosophy I am proposing is to activate all of the tracks. For example, activating the context of the organization's leadership, activating the legislative council in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and quickly forming a technocratic government and closing the political prisoners issue should be one package and in parallel tracks,” the PLC member said.
”Activating these issues is for the national interest,” he said. ”These issues would be followed by another parallel step forward, like opening parallel tracks in forming the security and elections committees and also social reform committees in agreement. In this manner, we make the reconciliation a practical reality.”

MP Mansour says Nablus attack a message for Cairo meeting

[ 14/06/2011 - 12:41 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)-- MP Mona Mansour has called on Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to issue orders freeing all political prisoners immediately, saying it is inconceivable that Palestinians would be held in both Israeli and Palestinian jails on the same charges.

”The reconciliation is in a valley, and the practices of the security agencies are in another valley,” Mansour said, referring to the daily arrests in the West Bank targeting Hamas's men in the West Bank that persisted after the Palestinian unity deal signed in early May. ”It's as if the reconciliation is non-existent and they've never heard of it.”

She said that the families of Palestinians detained for political reasons and those dismissed from their positions based on partisan ties have lost hope after the issues remained unsolved following the signing of the deal.

Mansour was one of those attacked on Monday when West Bank security services cracked down on a sit-in staged by the families of political prisoners and attended by several members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Although it was held in a ”peaceful and civilized manner”, the security elements also attacked media that was present to cover the event and confiscated video footage of the crackdown.

The Palestinian legislator expressed hope that the news would reach members of Fatah and Hamas convened in Cairo on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority's preventive security agency in Ramallah has arrested Hussein Yaqoub al-Ajrab, 45, from Qibya village, on suspicion of transferring funds to Hamas.

He was released just a week earlier after a three year stretch in Israeli custody detained administratively.

Ajrab also suffers a condition in his head after he was physically assaulted by Israeli intelligence officers in Jerusalem in 1996 and several slipped disks in the spine.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

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