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WORLD / Middle East |
Hamas, Fatah announce dialogue basis(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-08 21:08 RAMALLAH -- Two officials representing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and rival the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in West Bank announced on Saturday their mutual ideas as base for launching wider dialogue. "We have reached common concepts that can be groundwork for national dialogue through it we handle all the outstanding issues, " said Hussein Abu Kwaik, a Hamas leader based in the West Bank. Hamas routed pro-Abbas security forces in June and took over the territory, politically separating it from the West Bank where Abbas has appointed another western-backed government. "We seek to boost the national reconciliation to make political and geographical unity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, then forming a central government until we restructure the security services on national basis," Abu Kwaik added. For his part, Rafiq al-Natsha, a member of Fatah revolutionary council, said the two movements "have nothing now except going to dialogue." "The only way to restore the natural internal Palestinian situation is the responsible dialogue," al-Natsha added. Meanwhile, Ahmed Yousef, an aide to Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haneya, said the dialogue between Fatah and Hamas will not start before US President George W. Bush ends a visit to the region next month. "Bush's arrival to the region may block the talks because Abu Mazen (Abbas) will not appear as trying to restore ties with Hamas as the Americans don't want these ties to return ... they want this feud to continue," Yousef said. The debate on dialogue comes amid official denial from the two movements. |
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