Fatah official optimistic about Egypt-brokered Palestinian dialogue

CAIRO, Sept. 23 – A senior official of the Palestinian Fatah movement said here on Tuesday that he is optimistic about the success of an Egypt-brokered inter-Palestinian national dialogue to end the current crisis among the Palestinians.Nabil Shaath, a member of Fatah’s central committee and head of the group’s delegation to Cairo, expressed his optimism following talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who is in charge of the mediation talks with Palestinian groups.In a press conference after the meeting, Shaath said Suleiman assured him that the message sent by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to Egyptian mediators is encouraging and Hamas has a desire to achieve Palestinian national unity.

Shaath said the comprehensive Palestinian dialogue will be held in Cairo in the first week of November, adding Suleiman told him that no Palestinian faction opposes the plan by Egypt to close ranks among the Palestinians.

He added that his movement is committed to ending the political and geographical division in the Palestinian territories, stressing the need to end the state of division and fragmentation among the Palestinians.

“Fatah considers that getting out of the Palestinian dilemma should be through the formation of a government agreed upon by all Palestinian factions and backed by Arab countries and the international community,” said the Fatah leader.

“The (next) government will work to lift the siege on the Palestinians, form the security apparatus on professional basis and make preparations for presidential and legislative elections,” said Shaath.

He pointed out that it is not important for the next government to be a national unity government or government of technocrats, but it’s important for it to enjoy the consensus of all Palestinian factions.

He said “Let’s be optimistic, the Hamas delegation will come to Cairo on Oct. 8.”

Since late August, Egyptian mediators have started bilateral talks with delegations of Palestinian factions to hammer out a unified stance among the Palestinians to overcome the current inter-Palestinian crisis.

The Palestinian factions, under the auspices of Egypt, are expected to start a comprehensive national dialogue in early November in Cairo.