Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., March 21, 2008 Adar2 15, 5768 | | Israel Time: 05:53 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Deputy leader of Hamas' political bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk attending the National Palestinian Conference in Damascus, Syria in January. (AP) Last update - 20:51 18/03/2008 Hamas ready to accept Yemeni initiative for reconciliation with Fatah By Reuters Tags: Hamas, Fatah, Gaza Strip  A top Hamas official said his group was ready to accept a Yemeni bid for reconciliation with Fatah, which voiced willingness to start national dialogue when its Islamist rival agrees to the terms of Yemen's initiative. "The visit is to meet [Yemeni] President Ali Abdullah Saleh ... and inform him of the movement's acceptance of the Yemeni initiative," Hamas deputy politburo chief Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera television upon arrival to the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Abu Marzouk did not say whether the group was willing to accept a long standing Fatah demand that Hamas relinquish its control over the Gaza strip, but Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters in Gaza that the group will discuss the points of the Yemeni initiative. Advertisement The initiative calls for the situation in Gaza to return to the way it was before Hamas seized control of the territory and for early Palestinian elections to be held, conditions endorsed by Abbas and so far rejected by Hamas. "We accept to discuss all the points stated in the Yemeni initiative openly on the dialogue table," Abu Zuhri said. "The Yemeni initiative did not talk about preconditions but it listed items or points for dialogue and we're willing to discuss them," he added. Fatah officials said earlier on Tuesday they were ready to begin a Palestinian national dialogue if Hamas were to accept the terms of the Yemeni proposal. Delegations from the two factions will meet separately with Saleh but a breakthrough seems unlikely in the absence of Damascus-based Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal and Fatah leader Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Meshal was initially expected to lead the Islamist group's delegation but his deputy, Abu Marzouk, will join the talks instead. Hamas Islamists routed Fatah forces to seize control of the Gaza Strip in June. After the takeover, Abbas dismissed a Hamas-led government and appointed a new Western-backed cabinet in the West Bank. "If the brothers in Hamas accept the Yemeni initiative completely in all its clauses, we are ready to immediately begin a Palestinian national dialogue, not just between Fatah and Hamas but all the national factions," senior Abbas aide Azzam al-Ahmed told reporters in Yemen. "The dispute is not between Fatah and Hamas ... it is between all the national action factions ... and Hamas. Hamas has been singled out ... from the start when it used armed force." The initiative also calls for a resumption of dialogue in line with a reconciliation agreement the factions reached in the Muslim holy Saudi city of Mecca in 2007, for the creation of a unity government and for security forces to be rebuilt on a national rather than a factional basis. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in Gaza on Monday that Hamas would only be willing to discuss reconciliation with Fatah in a "non-conditional dialogue". Related articles: Palestinian factions DFLP, PFLP attempt to mediate between Hamas, Fatah Survey: Haniyeh more popular than Abbas after IDF Gaza raids Abbas: No talks with Hamas despite Gaza border chaos Hamas says it foiled Fatah plot to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh Bookmark to del.icio.us   Good Avraham Hunting An ex-security guard solves a problem that has baffled mathematicians for decades. A better place Some 2,400 African refugees have entered Israel via Egypt since January.   1.   Hamas will never give up Gaza or the leadership of the Resistance 23:16  |  lakshmi 18/03/08   2.   lakshmi: you are dreaming 00:58  |  israeli 19/03/08   3.   #2 Israeli 01:32  |  Jabotinsky 19/03/08   4.   Lakshmi fears Hamas will be thrown out # 1 02:00  |  Fortuna Benmayor 19/03/08   5.   Hamas was ELECTED 02:28  |  Paly Druze Muslim 19/03/08   6.   2.israeli you are either very young or very crazy! 03:26  |  lakshmi 19/03/08   7.   Hamas 03:29  |  Dan Boller 19/03/08   8.   # 2 You are dreaming 04:23  |  Bobby 19/03/08   9.   #5--Muslim 05:20  |  US CITIZEN 19/03/08   10.   #1--Gaza should be part of Egypt 05:24  |  US CITIZEN 19/03/08   11.   Yemen can`t even keep terrorists from killing its own citizens 06:05  |  Voice of Reason 19/03/08   12.   #10 Wrong in your first line, US Citizen 07:19  |  Johnboy 19/03/08   13.   #9 US Citizen asks a funny ol` question.... 07:26  |  Johnboy 19/03/08   14.   Israel should abide by UN resolutions!?!?! What about Hamas?! 21:48  |  israeli 19/03/08   15.   #6 lakshmi 05:30  |  danny 21/03/08

Today Online Yesha rabbi: Jewish law forbids renting houses to Arabs Responses: 246 Palestinian Americans warned of security profiling at B-G Airport Responses: 206 Bin Laden tape: Iron and fire needed to liberate Palestine Responses: 110 Egypt agrees to take over as Gaza power supplier Responses: 118 Abe Foxman: Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem Responses: 60 Rosner's Domain There's no need for American pressure on Israel Obama and the psychological complexities of American Jewry (WTR) Poll: Mideast summit in Moscow, a good idea? Was Shakespeare a Jewish Woman? (WTR) Rosner's Mailbox: Women in the pulpit? been there, done that More Headlines 03:00 Israel, Germany plan int'l summit to stop Iran nuke program 05:14 13-year-old boy hurt in terror attack near Hebron 23:55 PM says worried Russian arms will reach Hezbollah 02:20 PA to launch welfare network in hopes of countering Hamas 04:19 Why did charity group pay NIS 1 million to ex-lottery chair? 05:43 Ahasuerus' first wife reappears as a feminist role model 04:01 TAU student develops software that ranks facial attractiveness 21:27 Jewish group seeks to purge YouTube of anti-Semitic videos 00:52 In surprise move, Fischer to increase foreign currency reserves 05:21 Gov't committee fails to agree on new Supreme Court candidates 22:19 Bin Laden tape: Iron and fire needed to liberate Palestine Previous Editions Select Day 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar

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